Free Printable CRYPTO Book: OPHIR

February 21, 2021

Free Printable CRYPTO Book: OPHIR

INTRODUCTION

“I will make a man more precious than fine gold: even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” (Isaiah 13:12)

The above statement is God’s own pronouncement recorded in the Holy Scriptures. It is an attestation of how valuable man to Him, being His most special creation. It is a statement of commitment of what He will make of man once the appointed time of reckoning comes. Once that day has come, there will be dearth of man. His own kind will become scarce than that of gold – the most coveted yellow element in the whole history of mankind. By then, man’s rarity cannot even be compared to the “golden wedge of Ophir” as what God has declared.

Nobody knows what the “golden wedge of Ophir” really is. Only God knows what it is, that’s one thing we are certain about. What we know is just the superficial meaning of gold – a precious yellow element with the symbol of Au, and wedge which is an object that derives its name from its own shape.

How about Ophir, from which the descriptive words “golden wedge” are affixed, do we know what is it? It is the name of an ancient land where there is bounty of gold. It was from this unique place on earth that the gold of King Solomon used in building the Great Temple in Jerusalem came. The gold from Ophir was attested by historians and archeologists to be the finest of its kind. Hence, when God used the term “golden wedge of Ophir” He was conveying the dearth, rarity, scarcity, uniqueness or specialness man will become.

Nonetheless, this Book will not be delving specifically to the dearth or specialness of man, but to a Nation of men. This Nation of men is what Ophir represents in the introductory statement pronounced by God Himself. This is not to say that the context of this book is the exact fulfilment of God’s prophecy. What I am trying to underscore is, there is a Nation of men whose rarely precious identity was lost, and this is what this Book aims to regain.

This Nation’s rarely precious identity is what has been compared to the “Golden Wedge of Ophir”. And the Nation of men I am referring to and of whose lost identity has to be regained is no other than the Philippines. Its rarity and specialness can be compared to the “golden wedge of Ophir”.

The Philippines has its own glorious and amazing past - this is a fact. Contemporary historians who were obviously westernized in mind and spirit might be able to “shroud” this fact with their overemphasis on the dominance of their race and culture. Nonetheless, there are sporadic pieces of Ancient History which were purposely “cloistered” for ages but now are slowly emerging to attest the greatness and real identity of this Nation of men in the Far East described as “the islands of the sea”.

These sporadic pieces of Ancient History can be compared to a Jigsaw Puzzle, whereby we can only know what it really is, once every piece is put together in their proper place. This author believes that we can only understand the present and move forward for a better future if we have the full knowledge about the past. This Book is one small step towards that goal.

CHAPTER I

LOOKING BACK: THE DEARTH OF THE PHILIPPINES

“For everything there is a reason and everything happens for a reason.”

As citizens of this country, it is our inherent right to know what is going on – be it negative or positive. This is to keep us abreast of time and going with the flow as proof of our daily existence. Never that we should ignore what is happening around us because, certainly they would affect us, in one way or another. We should not forget that life is a cause-and-effect cycle.

I am almost certain to say that most of us have already more than enough of the negative news and sensational issues looming over our society. (You are free to shout ‘ENOUGH’! as you may wish). Most of my friends and neighbors I have talked with candidly admit that they already came to a point when they no longer want to read the papers nor listen to news reports over the radio or television. Merely because, according to them, the daily news is one and the same and most are negatively sensationalized. Moreover, the news is perceived to be slowly building up a “culture of fear and hopelessness” among our citizens.

I can’t forget what I heard from my own son when I asked about his reaction on the current issues going around. Without any hesitation he said, “Wala nang pag-asa ang Pilipinas papa, wala na tayong makitang maganda” (“There is no more hope for the Philippines papa, nothing good can be seen anymore”). I was speechless for a couple of seconds – contemplating on what I just heard. I believe my son has his own right to say that because he can see the realities of life and being a CPA and a budding entrepreneur himself, he had already some bad experiences regarding our deeply-entrenched system.

Though I was startled of what I collectively heard, I can hear a louder voice deep within me, saying, “Something must be, and can be done.” In order to put out a fire, water is basically needed. Fire in this context refers to the “culture of fear and hopelessness” that seems to be engulfing the positive consciousness of most Filipinos. And this same unwanted culture is causing a more serious problem – the loss of faith and patriotism among our countrymen. On the other hand, water may refer to any program or action that will slowly but surely restore the faith and patriotism of the Filipinos despite of the prevailing realities of life. Such programs and actions, no matter how varied they are, must depict or represent varied reasons to at least awaken the Filipino consciousness to look back, contemplate and become aware that there are so many reasons that make

the Philippines a country to be proud of. There is a bulk of reasons that would be enough to eclipse the emerging “culture of negativism”.

I believe there are hundreds of reasons, but I listed down here only ten (10) of the most valid but not-so-considered reasons which are a must-read and fully understood by every Filipino:

1. First and foremost, the Philippines has her own unique identity that defines her dearth or rarity which can be compared to the “Golden Wedge of Ophir”.

2. The Philippines is the ancient Land of Ophir from where King Solomon’s gold to build the Temple in Jerusalem came.

3. The Philippines as the Land of the Morning Sun, is among the first nations in the Far East to receive the first sun light that marks the beginning of every new day.

4. Because of her richness in natural beauty and resources, the Philippines is really a rare Pearl of the Orient Sea.

5. The Philippines has in its possession the largest sea pearl in the world which supports all the more her being the “Pearl of the Orient Sea”.

6. The Philippines with the Banaue Rice Terraces, make her the only country in the whole world that has a naturally-unique “Stairway to Heaven”.

7. Having the largest natural deposit of Deuterium – the energy supply of the future, the Philippines will become the wealthiest nation in the world.

8. The Trench which serves as a vast natural depot of hydrogen fuel is in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (PEEZ).

9. There are “mosaic pieces” of historical accounts and archeological evidences which prove that the Philippines has her own glorious past and unique identity.

10. The true wealth of the Philippines is its People, with their world-renowned and legendary qualities that manifest everywhere where there are Filipinos.

11. There is something in the name “Maharlika” that might ignite a movement to initiate the changing of the present name of the Philippines.

Chapter II

The Philippines Was the Land of OPHIR FROM Where King Solomon’S Gold USed to BUild the temple Came

“And they came to Ophir and fetched from thence, gold, four hundred and twenty talents and brought it to King Solomon.” (I Kings 9:27 KJV)

To some, this could be another “intriguing” topic I suppose. Intriguing yes, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Sometimes the most intriguing topics are the most interesting ones. Intriguing, in the sense that it is new and was never heard or known before. Our mind is wired to catch new ideas and information. That is why it is automatically activated once new ideas and information are introduced. This is the “come-on factor” behind what is called “gossip phenomenon”.

The topic at hand qualifies to be intriguing but it is far from being a form of gossip or fake news. Fake news is founded from unverifiable facts. There are no historical evidences that support the veracity of information presented. Gossip on the other hand, might be true or not. But then again, its trueness or not depends on how it is supported by hard facts and evidences. It seems to be true while it is jumbled around through casual conversations and passes thru mouth-to-ear-to-mouth cycle. Nonetheless, it is put out naturally once it is proven otherwise.

Trace Back

Whether it is an information or a claim it can only be accepted as truth if supported with hard facts and historical evidences. In claiming ownership of a parcel of land, the strongest evidence that will support it is the original title. However, there are instances that titles are even challenged by adverse claimants. One legal procedure to address this is by doing the trace back method.

Historical information like the topic we have at hand also requires a trace back to be undertaken. This is basically done by finding historical evidences and verifiable facts to support the veracity of the information. This is where History is to be appreciated because it holds the records of the past to understand the present and prepare for the future.

It is often said that History repeats itself. I beg to disagree. Any specific historical event takes place only once within a specific time frame and with specific characters. Succeeding events of the same kind might take place but it would be in another period of time and with different characters involved. Never, that any historical event can repeat itself. Even the sunrising and sunsetting which are considered as natural micro-events, are not a cycle of repetitions. The sunrise and sunset yesterday is not the

same as the sunrise and sunset today, because they occur on a different time frame.

In my own opinion, what is repeated is not the historical event but the pattern of historical events. The sun rises from the east and sets at west – this is the pattern of event that is repeated. From history we can read the rise of the Roman Empire, followed by its decline and then its fall. This is one of the patterns of events that is repeated in different civilizations from ancient to modern times.

Now, lets’ go back to our topic. We are going to trace back the historical events that will lead us in accepting or rejecting the main thesis of our topic. We are going to present some historical evidences that will support the veracity of the statement that “the Philippines was the Land of Ophir where King Solomon’s Gold used to build the Temple came from.”

 Genesis Chapter 10 is the starting point

The first mention of the name OPHIR was in the Book of Genesis Chapter 10. Right after the great flood of Noah as the world has to be repopulated again, all nations came from the three sons of Noah – Shem, Ham and Japhet. The sons of Shem are Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. From Arphaxad came Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber the Hebrew race. Eber has two sons, Peleg headed west and fathered Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or Israel.

Map showing the settlements of Ophir, Havilah and Sheba

While the other group of Hebrews came from Jokthan who has thirteen children and settled towards the east and three of them Ophir, Sheba and Havilah settled in a place described as “the islands of the sea”. This is the focal point of our search for OPHIR.

 I Kings Chapter 9, verses 26-27 reveal Ophir as the biblical “El Dorado” “And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezrongeber which is beside Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edon. “And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that has knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. “And they came to Ophir and fetched from thence, gold, four hundred and twenty talents and brought it to King Solomon.” Artist’s interpretation of the design of ancient ships, like those used by King Solomon’s Navy The context of these verses was the preparation of King Solomon to build the first temple in Jerusalem. It should be built in accordance with God’s plan and specifications he instructed to King Solomon through a vision. The primary building material requirements to build the temple are, special kind of woods, Cedar from Lebanon and Evergreens; precious metals, like gold and silver, etc. A painting that depicts the amazing design of the Temple that King Solomon built

Now here is one clue for our search: When King Solomon needed gold to build the temple in Jerusalem he knows where to source it out - from Ophir. And take note of the abundance of gold at Ophir. In just one shipment, the shipmen of King Solomon and Hiram were able to gather 420 talents of gold. That’s equivalent to 28 tons of gold. To give you an idea about its volume –it’s a two full truck load of gravel in a ten-wheeler dump truck. Wow! And mind you, that was only good for one shipment. How about their succeeding shipments? Because I am pretty sure that those shipmen came back to Ophir and gathered more gold until they completed the gold requirement for the building of the Temple. The point of the matter here is, there was the land of Ophir where King Solomon sent his navy men to gather some gold to be used in building the Temple. It wasn’t a myth nor a mere legend. This is a solid historical evidence that the land of Ophir really existed. Denying the existence of Ophir is tantamount to denying the existence of King Solomon, the Temple he built in Jerusalem which consequently will result to denying the truth of God’s words. And this brings us to the final question: Where is the land named Ophir? Does it still exist today? If yes, where or what is Ophir now? Historical Accounts After the death of King Solomon, Ophir was abandoned and soon forgotten. After the passage of hundreds of years nobody would know where or what is Ophir. The other word associated with Ophir is the word "Tarshish." Nobody also knew what it meant. In old translations of the Bible it was supposed also to be a place. However, in new translations of the Bible, it is used to refer to the fleet that went to Ophir. What happened to the Hebrew or Jewish settlements that were established to process the gold before they were shipped back to King Solomon? Nobody also knew. However, we knew that because of their religious beliefs the Hebrews tend to survive as a separate enclave wherever they settled.  What the Spaniards Believed In Spain there is a book called Coleccion General de Documentos Relativos a las Islas Filipinas. It is found in the Archivos de Indias de Sevilla. It was reprinted in 1920 in Barcelona, Spain by the Compania General de Tabaccos de Filipinas. Its Tomo III (1519-1522), pages 112-138, contains Document No. 98 describing how to locate the land of Ophir. This same volume also contains the official documents regarding the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan. It also contains the logbook of Francisco Albo, the chief pilot of the

ship Victoria. This logbook is also one of the main references regarding the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan. Since this book contains important documents, we can discern that the Spaniards did not really believe that Ophir was in India (one of the claimants). In fact, the Cabot expedition that left Spain on April 3, 1526 had a secret mission, "to search for a route to Tarshis, OPHIR, Oriental Cathay (China), and Japan." Document No. 98 describes how to locate the land of Ophir. The travel guide started from the Cape of Good Hope in Africa to India, to Burma, to Sumatra, to Moluccas, to Borneo, to Sulu, to China, then finally, Ophir. Ophir was "…in front of China towards the sea, of many islands where the Moluccans, Chinese, and Lequios met to trade…" This group of islands could not be Japan because the Moluccans did not get there. It could not be Taiwan because it is not "of many islands." Only the present-day Philippines could satisfy the description. Now, take a look at the Globe Map below: Ophir– (the Philippines) was "…in front of China towards the sea, of many islands…

What Happened with the Jewish Settlements? Along the route described by Document No. 98 are locations of old Jewish settlements. It would not be surprising for that was the procedure used by King Solomon's fleet. Settlements were established at selected places to trade and process the gold and silver. The ships will collect the gold and silver and bring it to King Solomon. To the credit of the Hebrew people, their settlement remained true to the Jewish faith even for thousands of years. Settlements were found in India, Burma, Sumatra, and Vietnam (Annam and Cochin China). Who Were the Lequios? Spanish records mention of a mysterious people known as Lequios. Modern historians variously identified them as Okinawans, Koreans, or Vietnamese. They were favorite targets of Spanish ships during the time of General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi because the ships of the Lequios were always laden with gold and silver. According to Documents 98, the Lequios were big, bearded, and white men. They were only interested in gold and silver when trading at Ophir. Okinawans, Koreans, and Vietnamese people are not big nor are they white. Their beards are just small goatees and could not satisfy the word "bearded". Therefore, they were not the Lequios. So, who could the Lequios be but the remnants of Hebrews and Phoenicians who have made some enclaves along the Southeast Asian shores? The Hebrew word "LEQOT" or "LIQQET" means “to gather, or to glean”. It resembles closely the word Lequios. It will fit the men of King Solomon's fleet who gathered gold and silver from Ophir. Where Was Ophir Located? There is no doubt that the group of islands in front of China towards the sea is the present-day Philippines. The question is where was Ophir located in the Philippines? Ancient Chinese records say that the ancient trading places in the Philippines were Ma-yi and Pulilu. (Take note, we have Polilio Island up to the present). Dr. Otley Beyer identified Ma-yi as Mindoro. Dr. Jose Rizal, Blumentrit, Robertson, and Stangl say that it was Luzon in part or in whole. Dr. Jose Rizal identified "Pulilu" as Bo-ol or Bohol. Nobody disputed Dr. Jose Rizal. So, there are only three possible places in the Philippines that could be identified as Ophir - they are Luzon, Mindoro, and Bohol. Mindoro for me rings a bell when it comes to gold matters. It came from the Spanish word, Mina de Oro, which means “Mine of Gold” or “Gold Mine”, which compels me to ponder: Could it be the

“Biblical El Dorado”? The “Striking” Distance I used the word “striking” to emphasize the second clue as to where the land of Ophir was. Read the following verse, I Kings 10:22 NIV: “The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. The King’s fleet of trading ships were returning to Israel once every three years. This Biblical account provide us a clue about the distance from the trading ship’s point of origin (Israel Port at the shore of the Red Sea), to their point of destination (Land of Ophir) where they gather gold, silver, ivory, apes and baboons. The distance from Israel to the Philippines is 8,997 kilometers or in air travel distance that is equivalent to 5,590 miles. If your travel with airplane it takes 9.98 hours to arrive. How about travelling by ship, with the speed capacity of those built during the time of King Solomon, how long would it take? The statement below can give us the formula for computation:

According to Lionel Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World and Fernand Braudel, The Mediterranean in the Time of Philip II, well until the 16th century, most ships, Ancient or Medieval, made around 75-100 nm a day (~140-185 km) in favorable conditions. Now, let’s do simple computation: Given: 1. 5,590 miles – distance from Israel to the Philippines 2. 100 nautical miles/day – maximum speed of ancient ships up to the 16th century. Therefore, travelling by ancient ship from Israel to the Philippines will take 56 days more or less. So, it now follows that a round trip travel would take 112 days more or less. Going back to the verse cited above, it says, the trading ships of King Solomon were returning to Israel “once every three years.” Before getting confused I just want to call your attention. The verse doesn’t say that the three years is all travel time. It certainly includes the staying period in their point of destination for them to gather their “goods” before going back to Israel. Additionally, it is not only gold and silver that they were getting, but other goods like ivory, apes, baboons, etc., which make us to conclude that

they were having some stop-overs in other places along the way aside from the land of Ophir. Another thing to consider is the labour requirement before you can “gather” gold. Of course, there’s a need for mining activity and the most delicate part is segregation of gold from other aggregates and then smelting and barring. Hence, the traders need to stay in the trading sites for a certain period of time. This is the reason why, as stated above, there are traces of Jewish settlements in different places where they have traded with, like in India, Burma, Sumatra, Vietnam and of course here in the Philippines – the land of Ophir where there is an abundance of gold. Some Elements of Hebrew Names in the Philippine Language Another very convincing proof of Jewish settlement or even the ancient Hebrews in the Philippines is the traces of Hebrew language in our own language. In fact, a number of mountains and places in the Philippines still bear their original Hebrew names until now. Read the list below:  Mount Pulag, a variant name of Peleg in Gen. 10, when nations were divided, in Tagalog, it means “Glare or Dazzling Light”.  At the foot of Mt. Pulag is a cave named Kabayan, in Hebrew, Chabaya meaning “Yah Has Hidden” or God has hidden. Hidden what? There are five mummies in this cave that are preserved similar to those in ancient Egypt.

 Mt. Sagada in Hebrew, Saga, Laud, Praise and exalt and Yada, to Know – “To Know Praise”.

 Mt. Arayat, in Hebrew, Ara, Earth and Yaat , Cover – Arayaat, “Earth Covered”.

 Mt. Pinatubo, in Hebrew, Pina, God Raises, Tubo, His Goodness – “God Raises His Goodness”.  Mt. Kabuyao in Hebrew, Kabu, Great House, Yah, Creator God – “Great House of Creator God”

 Mayon Volcano, in Hebrew, May’on or Maayan – “Spring of Water”.

 Taal Lake and Volcano, in Hebrew,Ta-haal – “Called out for a Specific Purpose”.

 Mt. Cabalian, in Hebrew, Chaba, Hidden, Lian, Greatly – ”Greatly Hidden”. Filipinos still calls this, the Hidden Mountain.

 Mt. Banahaw, in Hebrew, Banah, Built, Yah, Creator God – “Built by Creator God”.

 Mt. Matutum, in Hebrew, Matu, Shake, Tum, Perfections or Jewels. One of the epithets of the objects in the high priest’s breastplate as an emblem of complete truth, Thummim.” Shaking Jewel of Complete Truth”. I just want to underscore that, common among these mountains’ names is their reference to a higher being or God. Antonio Pigafetta who travelled with Magellan and recorded their journey wrote, “when they asked them (the Filipinos) who is their God, the natives responded that they clasped their hands and their face to the sky and called their God, Abba”. These are just but samples of places that still bear their original Hebrew names that the Spaniards failed to hispanize. In fact, a Jesuit historian, Padre Chirino who travelled with the Spanish explorers commented – “their language (referring to the Filipinos) has the mystery and obscurities of the Hebrew language”. There are still lots of Filipino words that bear their Hebrew meaning. And I would like to propose at this point that our own Filipino linguists, particularly those working with the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa, should do collaborative research on this matter and try to come up with at least a Compendium of these words to serve as future reference. Conclusion The existence of the land of Ophir is a fact. It is not a myth nor a mere legend. It is also a fact that there are many claimants of the “title”, like those countries mentioned at the outset. However, the trace back we have done points to only one single fact and truth--- that the Philippines was the Biblical Land of Ophir where King Solomon’s gold used to build the Great Temple in Jerusalem came from. To deny or repute this fact is to deny the extant historical accounts and evidences presented. It will also be tantamount to denying that the Philippines is “a group of islands in the Far East in front of China.” What does this “new” information mean to us, Filipinos? That our country is really so blessed with the Creator’s wealth, that, unknowingly, she has a great contribution in the building of King Solomon’s Great Temple in Jerusalem, Israel.

Chapter III

the philippineS iS Called the “land of the morninG, Child of the SUn retUrninG”

“There is something in a name, as there is something in a song”.

Japan is known to be the “Land of the Rising Sun.” Korea is called the “Land of the Morning Calm”. The Philippines, ii its National Anthem, is referred to as the “Land of the Morning, Child of the Sun Returning” – or, for me, it is more fitting to say, “Land of the Morning Sun”. Notably, these three countries belong to one same region –South-East Asian Region, and their respective providential descriptions are all ascribed to the Sun and Morning.

As generally known, morning is the beginning of a new day. It starts at the breaking of dawn signalled by the rising of the sun – when the sun rays are visibly seen breaking through the darkened horizon.

Japan is aptly fitted to be called the “Land of the Rising Sun”, because, geographically and with reference to the International Date Line, it is where the sun rises first. However, by the definition of “morning” as the beginning of a new day, both Korea and the Philippines really earns their distinction of being “Land of the Morning”. This is because they are amongst the first nations west of the International Date Line graced by the morning sun like Japan. Scientifically speaking, the new day arrives here before it arrives in other nations of the globe. (To prove this, watch the video on this link www.where-does-the-sun-rises-first-and-set-last-in-the-world and observe keenly as the globe rotates.}

For the moment, let us just think about one motion - - Earth's spin (or rotation) on its axis. Earth rotates or spins toward the east, and that's why the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars all rise in the east and make their way westward across the sky. This is an observable phenomenon -- the Sun rises a tiny bit further south. At the fall equinox, the Sun rises due east and sets due west. It continues on its journey southward until, at the winter solstice, the Sun rises as far to the southeast as it ever does and sets as far to the southwest.

Take this into mind -- the sun rises first in Japan and sets last in the tiny US territory of American Samoa, less than an hour away by plane to the south east, will take over as the last place on earth to see the sun set. However, it should also be noted that the Philippines like Japan, also embraces first at every beginning of a new day, the graces of the “Morning Sun”.

The Philippines as “Child of the Sun Returning”

Now, let us delve on discussing the other part of the Philippine National Anthem saying: “Land of the Morning, Child of the Sun Returning”.

Every time I look at the Map of the Philippines, I can’t help but reflect on the image being portrayed. What I can see is not just a scaled mass of land afloat the blue ocean but an animated object. I don’t know if it’s just a pigment of my imagination but what I can see is a graphic representation of a human being – a child to be exact, and looking at his position and stride, it seems to appear that he is moving -- “walking back home”.

Now let’s take an individual map of the Philippines, and before you hurl at me your prejudgment and contention, try to look at it with a little amount of imagination. Psychologists say that one parameter of intelligence is through abstract reasoning,

because intelligence itself is in abstract form. By imagination we can give forms, life and colors even to inanimate objects.

Now, can you also see what I can see? The image is composed of different parts – a head, a body, hands (the other one is imaginary on the other side), and feet. It is in motion – walking. Now before you’ll get lost, compare the image to the clip art below – “a child walking back home”.

After doing what I said, I won’t elaborate further. I know you have already arrived at your own conclusion. But for me, this is one way of theorizing through visualization what the phrase “Child of the Sun Returning” means – referring to the Philippines.

Head

Body

Hands

Feet

An Analogy of the Phrase The word “returning” is a verb in the present progressive tense. The present progressive tense indicates continuing action, something going on now. This tense is formed with the helping "to be" verb, in the present tense, plus the present participle of the verb (with an “ing” ending). Therefore, the word “returning” means “an ongoing or continuing action to return”. Now, the big question is: “to where or at what the Philippines is “returning” or coming back?

I know you can offer a lot of interpretations for this phrase. Actually, I already read some articles about this matter. However, though all are valid and worth-reading, I am yet to see and read an eye-opening and soul-stirring explanation. If you got one, please don’t hesitate to share it on.

For the meantime, let me share my own analogy of the phrase.

When someone or something is “returning”, it means that he or it was “drifted away” from a former place or state, condition or status and now decides to come back. Therefore, to answer the question “to where and at what the Philippines is returning back”, requires us to look back at its roots and probably, at its “glorious past”. For it could be to her LOST IDENTITY that this Nation of men wanted to come back or return.

Mi Ultimo Adios: The Poem that Solves the Riddle

During my college years (and that was not-so-long-time-ago), Spanish was still taught as a Language Subject. I used the verb “was” because of the saddening fact that the Subject (Spanish) was no longer included in our present Language Curriculum, though there are still a few schools that offer it as an elective subject.

My recollection of the Spanish Subject could be summed up in three topic areas: conjugation, gender and number, and ultimately, Mi Ultimo Adios – the famous poem written by our own National Hero – Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal. I said “ultimately”, because the final requirement for us to pass the subject was to recite orally from memory this classic poem. And take note, our professor was keenly at guard whether we are doing the correct pronunciation and intonation or not. Fortunately, and modesty aside, I was the one who was called first to recite and the first to pass with “flying colours”. Maybe this bit of luck was ascribed to my surname, “QUEBRAL”, which according to my professor is a Spanish word which means “to break.” It is the surname I inherited from my Lolo (on the father side) who happened to be of a Spanish descent from the Province of Ilocos Sur.

Now I enjoin you to read with me the following opening line of the poem, which goes:

From the Original Spanish:

Adios, Patria adorada, region del sol querida, Perla del Mar de Oriente, nuestro perdido Eden!...”

English Translation:

Farewell, my adored land, region of the sun caressed, Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,…

Purposely, I highlighted two very salient phrases: “Perla del Mar de Oriente” which in English means “Pearl of the Orient Sea”, and “nuestro perdido Eden” which was translated in English as “our Eden lost”. For me, these two phrases vividly describe the Philippines’ “glorious past” – it was and should always be the “Pearl of the Orient Sea” and “the Lost Eden”. This is to where and at what the Philippines is coming or retuning back. This was her lost IDENTITY she was trying to regain.

Nonetheless, we should understand that the Philippines became a Nation because of its people. No Nation can be one without its men. Therefore, this country which is described as the “child of the sun returning” can only regain its glory or her LOST IDENTIY if her people will be united as one Man and move forward towards this goal.

Chapter IV

the philippineS aS the “pearl of the orient Sea”

“All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster's autobiography.”

— Federico Fellini

Each country is called by its well-known name. For example, Korea is known as “The Land of the Morning Calm” while Japan is known as “The Land of the Rising Sun”. Thailand is called “The Land of Smiles” and Malaysia is known as the “Land of Beautiful Islands”. What about our country – the Philippines? It is significantly called as “The Pearl of the Orient Sea”. What is the reason behind this? Let me expound on this later, but first let’s take a little knowledge as to how natural pearls are formed.

Pearls.com provides a very simple but explicit answer. It says: “Natural Pearls form when an irritant - usually a parasite and not the proverbial grain of sand - works its way into an oyster, mussel, or clam. (Pearl experts say that pearl rarely forms in clams. Usually they are formed in oysters, and this makes clam-grown pearls rare and expensive.) As a defence mechanism, a fluid is used to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating, called 'nacre', is deposited until a lustrous pearl is formed”.

The Stark Symbolism

Upon reading this natural process about the forming of a pearl, a strange idea struck my mind. Isn’t this a perfect symbolical description of how the Philippines was “formed”? A perfect symbolism of the hardships, exploitation and colonization (the irritants) this “little gem” of the Orient Sea has to encounter. And layer by layer of patience, resilience and love of freedom (the nacre) was her defence mechanism, until finally, it became an independent nation (a rare pearl of the Orient Sea).

Through the pages of history, we can read that the Philippines was conquered by the Spaniards and became a Spanish colony in the 16th century. It was under the Spanish rule for 400 years, more or less. Nevertheless, the claim that it was them who “discovered” this country is debatable, because exigent volumes of documents prove otherwise. Long way before the coming of Ferdinand Magellan, this beautiful Archipelago (with an ancient original name Ophir) has been known as a prosperous “trading center” in the East. There are archeological evidences that traders from the different parts of the world were coming here to do business including the traders of King Solomon. It has been a country then known for its rare spices, gold, silver, pearls and different gemstones. In fact, as we have emphasized in Chapter II, this ancient country is where the gold used by King Solomon to build the Temple in Jerusalem came from.

Afterwards, the United States took it as a result of the Spanish-American War. Again, it was under foreign rule, and take note of the manner of taking – it can be likened to buying a slave by her would-be Master. The following testament would tell us that the Philippines was literally bought by the Americans from Spain:

“Apart from guaranteeing the independence of Cuba, the treaty also forced Spain to cede Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States. Spain also agreed to sell the Philippines to the United States for the sum of $20 million. The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty on February 6, 1899, by a margin of only one vote.” (Office of the Historian)

What drove the United States to buy the Philippines for the sum of $20 million? Well, this is something we don’t really know. One thing is clear: the Philippines has its own “value” among the Americans. Whatever it is, it would certainly define why the Philippines is called the “Pearl of the Orient Sea”.

Just to feed your mind: The largest sea pearl found by a fisherman in Palawan, Philippines is currently valued at stunning USD100 million. Even bigger than the amount by which this country – the rare Pearl of the Orient Sea, was sold to the Americans. (This will be discussed in the following Chapter)

Before the real Independence of the Philippines, World War II began and another country occupied it which is Japan. The so-called Japanese Occupation commenced in 1942 and ended in 1945, when the Japanese finally surrendered to the might of the United States. It was then that the Philippines was liberated from its third and last foreign invader, and it was only then that its real independence was gained. (I think we should rewrite our own history books)

I am ardently hoping and praying that the current encroachment at our internationally-recognized territories in the West Philippine Sea will not escalate into another foreign domination. Because when that happens, it will become another “irritant” that this country will strive to counter by her people’s “nacre” of patience, resilience, and love of freedom.

Why did those countries tried to conquer and occupy the Philippines? What’s in her that seem to magnetize these foreign colonizers? Many agree that it was because of its well-known natural beauty and richness in natural resources. I definitely agree with them.

Why the Philippines is the Pearl of the Orient Sea

The following natural creations define why the Philippines is the “Pearl of the Orient Sea”:

The Philippines is “The second-largest archipelago in the world,” writes The Lonely Planet, which also described the country as “one of the great treasures of Southeast Asia.”

Treasure of white sands and blue waters in Philippines

The Philippines comprises 7,107 islands, with Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao as the three main islands. The total length of its coastlines is 36,289 kilometers or twice that of the United States. Most of its islands are “abound with white-sand beaches, exotic tropical vegetation and beautiful lakes and rivers,” wrote All-Asia Travel Guide.

Breathtaking rice terraces

The Philippines is home to some of the world’s marvelous creations. The Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao has been called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The total outline of this architectural wonder, or “stairways to the sky,” is about 13,500 miles long, or about half the globe’s circumference and ten times the length of the Great Wall of China.

Mayon Volcano in Albay has the distinction of having the world’s most perfect cone. Upon seeing the Bicol landmark in 1903, distinguished British traveller-writer A. Henry Savage Landor wrote: “Mayon is the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen, the world-renowned Fujiyama (Mt. Fuji) of Japan sinking into perfect insignificance by comparison.”

Taal volcano from a distance

Another global record: Taal Volcano, a 406-meter-high crater, is said to be the world’s smallest volcano. It is described as “a crater within an island within a lake” because it stands as an island at Taal Lake. The lake was formed after the volcano, with used to be much larger, collapsed.

Mount Apo, a dormant volcano situated in the boundaries of Davao City, Davao del Sur and North Cotabato, is the county’s highest peak (2,954 meters or 10,311 feet above sea level). Mount Apo is flat topped, with three peaks, and is capped by a 500-meter wide volcanic containing a small crater lake. Its name means “master” or “grandfather.”

Actually, there are 200 volcanoes in the country, 22 of them are said to be active. Camiguin, for instance, has more volcanoes than municipalities. The province has only five municipalities (Catarman, Guinisiliban, Mahinog, Mambajao, and Sagay) but it has

seven volcanoes: Mount Vulcan Daan, Mount Mambajao, Mount Karling, Mount Uhay, Guinisiliban Peak, Tres Marias Mountain, and Mount Hibok-Hibok. As such, it has earned the distinction of having the most numbers of volcanoes per square kilometer than any other island on earth (it has a total land area of 238 square kilometers).

The world’s deepest part of the ocean is the Marianas Trench, which is over 11,000 meters below the sea level. This makes the Mindanao Trench as the world’s fourth deepest spot underwater. The spot, about 34,440 feet (10.497 meters) is in the floor of the Philippine Deep.

The Tubbataha Reefs is considered as the world’s richest bio-geographic area. In fact, it was declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as a World Heritage Site. The two atolls are located 92 nautical miles southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan covering 33,200 hectares.

Also in Palawan is the world-famous St. Paul Subterranean National Park, a massive white rock mountain which rises 1,028 meters above sea level and stretches towards Cleopatra’s Needle. Its main feature is the underground river, with its 8.2 kilometers (five miles) of labyrinthine caves carved by rainwater and the waves of South China Sea.

Amazing Chocolate Hills in Bohol

The Philippines is also world famous for its Chocolate Hills in Bohol. It is a series of 1,268 perfectly symmetrical, haycock-shaped hills (each hill rises 30 to 120 meters above the surrounding plateau). A national geologic monument, the hills which are spread out in the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan never fails to amaze guests and visitors.

The highest waterfalls in the country is the Aliwagwag Falls in Cateel, Davao Oriental. It is a series of 84 falls (count them!) appearing like a “stairway to heaven” with various heights among the steps. One step is measured 72 feet and another is 67 feet. Overall, the falls is 1,100 feet of cascading energy and 20 meters in width – all these in the midst of a virgin forest.

Conclusion

There are other amazing natural creations found in the Philippines that are yet to be mentioned. But for me, there is more than its natural beauty that captivates foreign appetite. Like a woman, the Philippines has its own physical and inner beauty. I believe that it’s the beauty that “lies beneath” this country that makes it so appealing to anyone, especially among the foreigners. You can discover this “inner beauty” of the Philippines through the succeeding pages of this book

The Philippines indeed is aptly called “The Pearl of the Orient Sea” or in Spanish term, she is “Perla del Mar de Oriente”, which was first used in 1751. This term became more popular because of our own National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, in his last poem “Mi Ultimo Adios” which he composed before he was executed by the Spanish Guardia Civil in Bagumbayan (Luneta at its present name) in 1896.

Chapter v

The world’S Largest Natural Sea Pearl is in the Philippines

“Luck is great but most of life is hard work.”

--- Ian Duncan Smith

Sometimes, Lady Luck comes our way in most unexpected place and time. This has been proven true by a poor fisherman from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines some twelve years back. He was at sea that time, waiting the storm to calm hoping that he could continue his fishing chore. However, instead of getting some fish for his family’s needs, his boat’s anchor “caught” the biggest pearl ever. Not knowing the value of his “catch,” he hid this large lustrous gem under his wooden bed in his thatch hut and slept on it for ten years until he came to realize its value and worth. He kept it as a “lucky charm” not knowing that it would really bring him a large fortune.

Quick Facts About the Pearl

Who found it: Anonymous. The fisherman is a member of the tiny Cuyonon ethno-linguistic group who live in a few small islands off Palawan, the biggest island in the south-west of the Philippines surrounded by the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea.

Where: Off the coast of the Palawan Island, Philippines

Size: 26 inches

Weight: 34 kilograms or 75 pounds

Estimated Value: USD 100 Million

Where Is It Now: On display at the City Hall of Puerto Princesa, the Provincial Capital of Palawan, Philippines

I just want to underscore that this is not the first time that a large pearl was found in Palawan. In 1934, a 14-kilogram pearl was also found there – which came to be known as the “Pearl of Allah” – some called it the “Pearl of Lao Tzu”. It was often referred to as the world’s largest pearl and has been appraised by gemmologists at tens of millions of dollars.

The “Pearl of Allah”

The “Pearl of Allah” held the world’s largest pearl record until 2016 – the year when the current “record holder” was found, and with striking significance, also found in the sea off the coast of Palawan Island, Philippines.

Could it be the literal “Pearl of the Orient Sea” that represents the Philippines being a precious and rare gem of South-East Asia? This is my way of proposing that the current world’s largest pearl be known and called by this name.

The “Pearl of the Orient Sea”?

Just to feed your mind: The current population of the Philippines is at 107 Million, more or less. The estimated value of the largest Sea Pearl we have now in Puerto Princessa, Palawan is 100 Million US dollars. If converted into peso at current exchange rate, the value would be a staggering 5.2 Billion Pesos. Enough to treat every single Filipino a single meal in a local fast food chain.

Chapter Vi

the philippineS haS itS own UniqUe “Stairway to heaven”:

The Banaue Rice Terraces

“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” --- Neil Armstrong The Banaue Rice Terraces is located in the Province of Ifugao, one of the provinces in Northern Philippines comprising the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). They are situated at about 1,500 meters (5,000 ft.) above sea level on a 10,360 square kilometers (about 6000 square miles) mountainside. Some of the terraces are as high as 4,000 meters above the sea level. If viewed from a distance, the Terraces look like giant steps stretching skywards. Thus, it is but fitting for it to be called the “Stairway to Heaven”. This rare photo of the Terraces makes us see how graduated the steps are and the peak appears to be touching the sky. A “stairway to heaven” indeed. The Banaue Rice Terraces is considered to be one of the greatest engineering feats of mankind that ranks alongside the building of the Great Pyramids of Egypt.If all the terraces were put end to end, they would equal to half the circumference of the earth, and that stunning stretch would reach ten times as long as the Great Wall of China. This spectacular feat makes the Banaue Rice Terraces the 8th Wonder of the World. (Take a look at the picture below)

The paddies that support the terraced farms appear to be long-winding but perpendicular highways. To make it suitable for planting rice, vegetables and other agricultural crops, the terraces are irrigated by water from catchment areas in the rainforests above it. Today, although a few Ifugaos still plant vegetables on the terraces, most of them prefer concentrating on its value as a world-class tourist attraction.

Just imagine the intricacy and volume of labor devoted by our forefathers in carving the mountainsides by their bare hands to give us and the world these fantastic terraces, This is something that all Filipinos must be proud of. How and When the Banaue Rice Terraces Were Made

The Rice Terraces were made by the Ifugaos approximately 2,000 years ago, even earlier than the Colosseum of Rome and Hadrian’s Wall in the United Kingdom. This amazing work can be found at the Cordillera Mountain Range, located north of the Philippines. Long generations of Ifugaos hand-carved the mountains with the use of mere primitive tools and sheer human power. They traced the contours of the land and made the terraces look like large steps heavenward. Because of this, the Banaue Rice Terraces is also called “Stairways to the Sky,” a very fitting title for this work of wonder. Historical, Cultural and Environmental Significance The Banaue Rice Terraces is an epitome of harmony between humankind and nature. This shows that the environment is willing to be shaped and used as long as the people are taking good care of it. Even the mountains provide a fertile venue for farming and irrigation, thus allowing the villagers to stay in their sanctuary and make their livelihood there. Indeed, this ethnic group had been peacefully living in the Cordillera Mountains long before Ferdinand Magellan “re-discovered” the Philippines. Even during the colonization period, the Ifugaos successfully resisted influences from other countries. The rice terraces are a spectacular testimony of nature’s sustainability and a community’s outstanding system of rice production and water irrigation – harvesting water from the mountaintops and harnessing them in carved terraces and ponds – a

system which has survived for over two millennia. This intricate structure is a striking example of how an ancient civilization adapted to the hardships posed by their natural environment. The Ifugaos are the best illustration of the persistence, continuity, and endurance of cultural traditions. They passed on their knowledge, culture, and arts from generation to generation up to the present time. They surpassed various challenges and steered clear of the changes offered by modernization. Many of us can learn valuable lessons from this tribe: not relying too much on modern technology, working together as a community, appreciating our heritage, and taking great measures to protect the environment.

Photo bickr.com

Legacy and Worldwide Recognition

In 1995, the UNESCO declared the Banaue Rice Terraces as a World Heritage Site. It is being given utmost protection because it might be on the verge of destruction now that a lot of environmental issues are arising. Intermittent earthquakes and more frequent typhoons – a daunting result of climate change – are causing erosion in some parts of the rice terraces. The Philippine government is currently investing in projects to help conserve the site.

I believe every Filipino, not only the government, is duty-bound to give a share in the preservation and total protection of this “natural jewel” gifted to us by our ancestors from the North. In case you are asking how, it is so simple --- take a trip to the Banaue

Terraces, stay there for a day or two and try to take a walk on top of those steep and long winding paddies while contemplating as to how you can reach heaven.

Conclusion The Banaue Rice Terraces is the best contribution of our Philippine ancestors to humanity. Most of our forefathers’ direct descendants are still living in the Cordillera Region and serving as the guardians of this truly fascinating heritage. There is no country in the whole world that has Terraces like this one in Banaue. Imagine having a “stairway to heaven” carved out from different contours of mountain sides with different height and steepness The Banaue Rice Terraces is one of its kind, and thus it is but fitting to say that it is one of the cultural gems of the Philippines that every Filipino should treasure and protect.

Chapter VIi

Why The Philippines WILL BECOME the wealthiest nation

in the world

“In my country, the Philippines – Pure Pearl of the Orient, where the Creator’s bounty seem to be laid in store.” --- Ako Ay Pilipino

Background

In a rare conversation with an “old seasoned man,” during a breakfast I had at one of the most popular fast food chains in the country, some few years back, a seem-to-be-so-trivial topic about our patriotic songs was discussed. The one composed by George Canseco, “Ako Ay Pilipnio” became the locus of our discussion.

He started by saying, “There are several patriotic songs for the Philippines that we sing occasionally. But there is a particular song that keeps on lingering to my mind because of a “mysterious message” found on its lyrics. The title of the song is “AKO AY PILIPINO.” Naturally, I asked him, what is that “mysterious message” in the song and why is it “mysterious” for him. Then he began singing, and then stopped upon finishing up to last line of the first stanza. I provided below the full lyrics of the song. If you knew the tune, you can sing it by yourself instead of just reading.

Ako ay Pilipino Ang dugo'y maharlika Likas sa aking puso Adhikaing kay ganda Sa Pilipinas na aking bayan Lantay na Perlas ng Silanganan Wari'y natipon ang kayamanan ng Maykapal

Bigay sa 'king talino Sa mabuti lang laan Sa aki'y katutubo Ang maging mapagmahal Chorus:

Ako ay Pilipino, Ako ay Pilipino Isang bansa isang diwa Ang minimithi ko

Sa Bayan ko't Bandila Laan Buhay ko't Diwa

Ako ay Pilipino, Pilipinong totoo Ako ay Pilipino, Ako ay Pilipino

Taas noo kahit kanino Ang Pilipino ay ako!

Then he asked me. “Did you notice that?” “Sa Plipinas na aking bayan, Lantay na perlas sa Silanganan, wari’y natipon ang kayaman ng maykapal” In English, “In my country the Philippines, a Pure Pearl of the Orient, where the Creators bounty seem to be laid in store”.

My first reaction was, “Oh I see”, then I asked him, “What made that phrase mysterious” for him? Then he looked at me straight to the eyes, that I was able to see a beacon of light coming out from his misty eyes penetrating mine, he said: “Gentleman, the Philippines is so blessed, not only in terms of natural resources as it was commonly known, but, this is where a “special kind” of the Creator’s wealth was deposited, waiting to be tapped. And when that time comes, this country will be recognized as the wealthiest nation in the world.”

After that conversation over a simple breakfast, we bade good bye naturally to each other, but I was a little bit confused whether I should thank him or not for that “message” he gave me. However, I thanked him graciously as respect to an old seasoned man who introduced himself as the grandson of the late Lucio San Pedro, a National Artist from Angono, Rizal.

That was the first and last time that I saw him, and I didn’t even bother to get his first name. But in my memory, he is the old seasoned man who gave me a “prophetic message,” which I believe will be fulfilled in the near future.

The“Quest” for An Answer

Being pragmatic, at first, I can hardly accept that as a fact, because of the stark reality that I’ve been seeing and experiencing since the time I was born up to this very moment that I almost have my “dual citizenship” – a Filipino citizenship and a senior citizenship.

However, that “prophetic message” given by that old seasoned man led me to a personal quest. The big question that keeps on boggling my mind since then was: “If that message were true and providential, why is it that until now the Philippines remain to be one of the poorest countries in the world?”

Until, one day, in one of my internet surfing, I stumbled with an article wherein an interview with George W. Bush, former US President, was featured. A reporter asked him, “Mr. President, in your opinion, which nation is the wealthiest in the world?” Without any hesitation, President Bush answered, “the Philippines is the wealthiest nation in the world”.

I was so startled with that answer given by the most powerful world leader that time. Though I know that it was just based on his own opinion, but I believe, as a leader of the most powerful nation in the world, he wouldn’t just say that without any basis. And this has motivated me more to pursue my quest.

The Stark Reality at the Backdrop

The answer given by President Bush has compounded my “quest” even more. If the Philippines were the wealthiest nation in the world, why is this country and its people remain to be poor until now? The stark reality of this “poverty phenomenon” in the Philippines is summarized as follows:

1. 60 percent of the Filipinos belong to the poverty line and only 20 percent can be considered as well-to-do.

2. 80 percent of the country’s wealth is either owned or controlled by the 20 percent of its population and that spells the huge gap between the rich and the poor Filipinos.

3. Millions of Filipinos living in the Metropolis are informal settlers and they don’t have safe and descent houses.

4. Some of the informal settlers live under bridges or have their shanties built on river banks, easements and esteros making them so prone to calamities.

5. The implementation of the new Tax Reform Law (TRAIN Law) has further aggravated the already-poor living condition of the poor.

6. Some Filipino families, both in the rural and urban areas are striving very hard to live in a “one-day-one-eat basis”. (I hope the government is aware of this).

7. A huge percentage of the youth are malnourished because of the shortage of food.

8. A big percentage of the adult population is unhealthy due to poor access to health services.

9. The frequent occurrence of natural calamities further aggravates the poverty problem.

10.A National Crisis is about to take place. (I am hoping it won’t come too fast)

On the global issue of energy supply there is more to ponder upon. Estimates show that there are only 1,000 billion barrels of reserve petroleum left in the world today. With the world's annual consumption of 28.6 billion barrels, all reserve oil will be fully used up 35 years from now, more or less. World energy requirements will have to be shifted then to natural gas which still has 5,457 trillion cubic feet in reserve. But this particular source is still subject to depletion.

The Beacon of Hope

My “quest” has turned into a self-designed mission. A mission to discover why the Philippines is believed to be the richest nation in the world. This mission has led me to reading some books, magazines, news and articles, which eventually made me to decide that I should have my own blogsite. With the help of my son, I created abetterphilipines.com– a blogsite that features, positive news, inspiring stories and amazing people about the Philippines and its people. The prime purpose of this blog is to show to the world the positive side of the Philippines and give the Filipinos myriads of reasons that will make them proud about their country.

My continuous search led me to the final answer of my “quest”. This is a Special Report about a topic I never read about before. After reading it, I was instantaneously reminded by the “prophetic message” that the old seasoned man gave me – a message he culled from a patriotic song – a message telling that “this country, the Philippines is so blessed, not only in terms of natural resources as it was commonly known, but, this is where a ‘special kind’ of the Creator’s wealth was laid in store, waiting to be tapped. And when that time comes, this country will be recognized as the wealthiest nation in the world.”

I immediately connected this to what President Bush had said in response to a question, that “the Philippines is the wealthiest nation in the world”. His basis could possibly be the knowledge he has about the presence of a vast “Creator’s wealth” which happened to be “laid in store” somewhere in the Philippines.

The Special Report I am referring to is about The Deuterium Project, I read from an International Press Release. However, for one reason or another, the name of the author or proponent was withheld. This Special Report which I am going to share with you is what I firmly believe to be the Beacon of Hope for the Philippines and for the Filipinos. The realization of this Project will become the ultimate and lasting hope for

the Filipinos, and this will make the Philippines not only a rich nation but a great country as well. Below is an Executive Summary of The Deuterium Project:

THE DEUTERIUM PROJECT A SPECIAL REPORT International Press Release By: (name of proponent withheld) Metro Manila, Philippines HYDROGEN from Water was predicted by Jules Verne in 1874 to be the fuel of the future. During World War II, Germany used V-2 Rocket Bombs propelled by HYDROGEN. Now, Dr. Jacob Bigeleisen discovered that at room temperature or under atmospheric condition, DEUTERIUM ATOMS are electrolyzed naturally out of water in the form of HYDROGEN gas. This natural phenomenal process needs no expensive electric power consuming electrolysis to artificially separate HYDROGEN from OXYGEN in Water. What is DEUTERIUM? Deuterium is HEAVY WATER or HYDROGEN WATER without oxygen. This is obtained from the deep trenches of the World and the World’s largest DEPOSIT OF DEUTERIUM is IN THE PHILIPPINES – A big deposit of 868 miles long, 52 miles at widest point, and 3 miles at deepest point, replenished by nature 24 hours a day after Deuterium travelled more than 12,000 kilometers from Central America to the Philippines through the span of the Pacific Ocean when Planet Earth turns on its axis from West to East in unending perpetual motion. USES OF DEUTERIUM Deuterium is used in the production of (Hydrogen) Li-Hy Fuel now used in Canada, America, Germany and some parts of Sweden to provide fuel for cars, trucks, jet planes, etc. including solid Hydrogen for Spacecrafts Challenger and Columbia. Deuterium can replace gasoline, LPG, LNG, Avgas, etc. in powering all types of internal combustion engines. It does not emit pollutants or any harmful carbon monoxide and does not cause any environmental problems because it is in the water family as emissions are nothing but water vapor or steam. Deuterium as Hydrogen Fuel can be used for cooking, lighting, heating, and as Heavy Water fuel for Reactors in electric power generation. Why does Deuterium electrolyze out of water in the form of Hydrogen Gas? It electrolyzes out of water in the form of Hydrogen gas because Deuterium is CONCENTRATED HYDROGEN with element symbol, H2 (Hydrogen mass of 2 as distinguished from H2O in Water) subjected to the pressure of water mass at the ocean floor of about 10,000 psi or more because Deuterium obtained from depths of more than 7,000 meters below sea level and at more than 10,000 psi pressure causes the oxygen in water to disengage, separate and escape naturally from hydrogen leaving only Hydrogen isotopes to

combine with other Hydrogen isotopes in forming Deuterium under pressure. And Deuterium under pressure, when exposed to room temperature or atmospheric condition, forms or electrolyzes naturally into Hydrogen Gas, in the same manner that LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) in LIQUID state transform into gas after fusion process with air in the atmosphere the moment LPG or LNG tank valves are turned on or opened. By taking out impurities from Deuterium, Li-Hy Fuel is produced by special simple process at very, very low cost known to this proponent and his associates. Cheap Hydrogen will reactivate all idled Hydrogen Based Industries internationally affected by high petroleum costs, and this will boost food, chemical, and metal industries worldwide. PROPOSAL TO THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT AND FOREIGN INVESTORS Through intensive research and development on oceanographic data and processes with foreign associates, the proponent discovered that concentrated Hydrogen exists only about one centimeter thick in every 3,000 meters deep of water mass at the ocean floor. Because Deuterium is more than twice the weight of ordinary water, it sinks, and in the process, OXYGEN separates naturally from Hydrogen when the pressure becomes about 10,000 psi or more. The usual ocean floor depth ranges between 2,000 meters to 3,000 meters. With the Philippine Trench at 7,000 meters to 10,500 meters deep, Deuterium is naturally trapped through the ages untapped by man through this day, replenished by nature through the North Equatorial Current Tidal Flow from more than 12,000 kilometers away in Central America to the Philippines hitting the Philippine Trench DIRECTLY PERPENDICULAR - the one and only Trench with the widest and longest resource flow of Deuterium in the whole world! This proponent presented in March 1986 the Deuterium Project to the Philippines and American Governments in his desire to help the People of the Philippines and its Government, by introducing an internationally accepted production-sharing scheme. This is the 40/40/20 production-sharing scheme. 40% of daily production revenue goes to the Government, 40% goes to the Investors, and 20% is retained or set aside to cover the cost of security, operation, management, administration, salaries and wages, materials, supplies, repairs and maintenance, and other operation costs. The Philippine Government would not put in any investment funds but the following: 1) Land and Export Processing Zone or EPSA; 2) Tax and Duty-Free Operation, and 3) Security of Investments with Government Guarantee There are several lands belonging to the Government along the areas of proposed sites. The Law on Export Processing Zone can be used to declare selected sites as EPSA, the Law providing a built-in Tax and Duty-Free arrangements with the Government. The Security of Investments are provided for by the Omnibus Investment Act, the Investments Law, the Constitution of the Philippines (past, present, and proposed) guarantee the Constitutional Rights to Properties and Due Process, including just compensation. The Government MUST

GUARANTEE enforcement of these laws. Foreign Investors have been informed that all funds would have to be provided by them on the following items: 1) Funds for Research and Development; 2) Mobilization Costs and Recruitment; 3) Engineering, Development and Construction Costs; 4) Equipment, Pumping, Storage, Loading facilities and other industrial project costs The 20% production sharing revenue would be set aside and be used for Security, Management, Administration, salaries and wages, materials, supplies, transportation and housing personnel, food, medical supplies, and other operational costs in order to preserve and not disturb the 40% production revenue sharing for each of the Government, and the Investors’ shares. By maintaining this production revenue sharing ratio, future disagreements and irritants are avoided. A built-in protection for the Government and the Investors, which is strongly recommended by the proponent on the basis of the ARAMCO experience. WHO BUYS OR SELLS ALL DEUTERIUM PRODUCED? Using the ARAMCO experience since the 1950s for rapid development, the foreign investors shall have the first option to buy or sell the daily production of Deuterium at preset price of US$7.00 per barrel (It could be higher by now). This would give a marketable Gas Station Retail Price of only Php0.90 or US$0.45 per liter or US$0.15 per gallon of Li-Hy Fuel from Deuterium. In effect, the investors buy, after discounting their 40% sharing or at 40% less, at only US$4.20 per barrel giving them more flexibility on their international market pricing policies. This Hydrogen Fuel gives twice the mileage economy of gasoline or LPG/LNG fed cars. Old gasoline fed cars can be converted to Li-Hy Fuel use by utilizing the same conversion kits used in converting gasoline fed engines to LPG/LNG fed units. Brand new cars have been made to use LPG/LNG fuel more than ten years ago and the same car engines can use Li-Hy Fuel. In Japan and Canada, there are about 78% brand new cars running on LNG or LPG. The same brand-new units can use Li-Hy Fuel, which is more economical fuel than any other available in the international market today. Hydrogen Fuel does not emit any pollutants or harmful carbon monoxide but steam or water vapor. PROPONENT AND ASSOCIATED INVESTORS This proponent conducted intensive studies on Research, Development, Philippine Investments Law, Corporation Code, organization, security, management, administration, operation, marketing, including the breakthrough in Pump Technology with his associates. This breakthrough in Pump Technology will use Hydrodynamic Power in pumping Deuterium from more than 7,000 meters below sea level. The U.S. Government sent an Investment Mission last June 1986 to the Philippines and initial

conferences were held with Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) of Washington D.C. , USA with the participation of Government Officials and private businessmen in Manila . A meeting with Trade and Industry Minister Jose Concepcion was held during President Corazon C. Aquino’s trip to USA last September 1986. Another meeting is scheduled this December 1986 in Washington D.C. with Deputy Minister Tomas Alcantara. Major U.S. investors are expected to attend and participate. OPIC Mission has scheduled a series of February 1987 conferences in Manila with Deuterium Project as the banner line of publication agenda. International Investors are expected to attend the technical presentation conferences in Manila in 1987. The Japanese Group of Investors is composed of the top eight industrial companies, which will form a consortium to undertake a 4 million barrels capacity per day of Deuterium production. A Saudi Group visited the Philippines in September and October 1986 and was interested in a 2 million barrels daily production capacity of Deuterium. With the two top U.S. oil companies interested in a 6 million barrels capacity, Japanese investors in a 4 million barrels capacity, and the Saudi Group in a 2 million barrels daily production capacity, the total prospective investors inquiries so far received is 12 million barrels daily production. The Philippines can supply all the requirements of the WHOLE WORLD in Deuterium as Hydrogen Fuel and as Hydrogen for food, chemical, and metal industries worldwide. TRANSFER OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY Hydrogen from Deuterium is the fuel of the future available in the Philippines. This needs the transfer of high technology in pumping and refining processes. The proponent has developed with an American Pump Engineer a new breakthrough in pump technology using HYDRODYNAMIC POWER by employing the RAM JET SUCTION TECHNOLOGY in the same manner that Jet Planes use the RAM JET PROPULSION to propel heavy loaded jet planes today. Storage system will use the underground Tunnel Type Tanks in lieu of the surface tank farm. Loading System will use the same types as those for LPG and LNG Systems. RULE OF THUMB INVESTMENTS Subject to the refinements of cost data, project line items and other factors, the Rule of Thumb Investment Estimates is about US$200,000,000.00 for every 1,000,000 barrels daily production capacity – a very much lower Investment/Capacity ratio than Petroleum production. At 12 million barrels per day capacity, the estimated total investment is US$2,400,000,000.00 or US$2.4 billion – the single largest industrial investment in the Philippines. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES As the Feasibility Study on the Project has been started, this proponent estimates that the

Deuterium Project’s combined production capacities will employ no less than 350,000 personnel of international pay rates and allowances for unskilled, semi-skilled, technical, and professional levels from the Philippines. Less than 2,000 foreign nationals will also be employed on the transfer of technology. The type of operation is the same as those in the Middle East petroleum production facilities, with the same pay rates so as not to disturb international energy pricing and economy of costs. BENEFITS TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE FILIPINO PEOPLE At 12 million barrels per day capacity priced at US$7.00 per barrel, this is US$84 million per day or US$30.66 billion (1.6 Trillion in peso) per year, enough to wipe out all existing foreign debts of the Government in less than 5 years, revenue-wise in Foreign Exchange. (As of April 2018, the Philippine foreign debt is at 6.88 trillion pesos) Public works, private construction, economic and financial booms are expected to happen in the Philippines in the same manner as those which happened in the Middle East and financial centers of the world from 1974 to 1984, with everybody earning their respective comfortable livelihood, while pricing basic prime necessities at reasonable and affordable levels.

Deuterium: The Fulfillment of the “Prophetic Message”?

To be consistent with our subject matter, I would like to invite you again to read with me the message given by that old seasoned man: “this country, the Philippines is so blessed, not only in terms of natural resources as it was commonly known, but, this is where a ‘special kind’ of the Creator’s wealth was laid in store, waiting to be tapped. And when that time comes, this country will be recognized as the wealthiest nation in the world.”

I would like to interpret this in the light of the information provided for by the Special Report on The Deuterium Project. This is by quoting that segment wherein the proponent has summarized in technical terms how Deuterium is naturally processed. It reads: “Because Deuterium is more than twice the weight of ordinary water, it sinks, and in the process, OXYGEN separates naturally from Hydrogen when the pressure becomes about 10,000 psi or more. The usual ocean floor depth ranges between 2,000 meters to 3,000 meters. With the Philippine Trench at 7,000 meters to 10,500 meters deep, Deuterium is naturally trapped through the ages untapped by man through this day, replenished by nature through the North Equatorial Current Tidal Flow from more than 12,000 kilometers away in Central America to the Philippines hitting the Philippine Trench DIRECTLY PERPENDICULAR - the one and only Trench with the widest and longest resource flow of Deuterium in the whole world.”

Isn’t this the exact fulfilment of the “prophetic message”? The Philippines, within its Trench, is where “a special kind of the Creator’s wealth was laid in store, waiting to be tapped.” This “special kind of the Creator’s wealth” is no other than “Deuterium” (H2)– the Hydrogen Fuel of the future. Some call this special kind of fuel Li-Hy and others call it “THE WHITE GOLD” being a natural wealth in gas form. This is the vast “natural wealth” waiting to be extracted from the world’s deepest and longest trench in the world – The Philippine Trench.

Now, there Is a lot more to know. There is something with the name of this special fuel – “Deuterium.” I just want to share this with you:

Thing Box: “Deu” or “Deo” in Latin is “God”, and “terium” also in Latin means “the mystery.” Hence, the term “Deuterium” means “the mystery of God”.

This “mystery of God” is what has been revealed through the Deuterium Project.

Where is the Deuterium Project Now?

It is my long-held belief that everything happens for a reason. I was able to meet that old seasoned man in a fast food chain few years ago, because of that “prophetic message” he gave me. This message drove me to do my personal quest – a personal quest that led me in the discovery of the ultimate and lasting hope for the Filipino people. This is the Deuterium Project waiting to be realized and implemented to make this country the real wealthiest nation in the world.

But maybe you are now asking, where is the Deuterium Project now? What happened to it?

In the foregoing Special Report, the last action taken by the Philippine Government about the Project was the scheduling of a series of conferences on February 1987, which was supposed to be followed by technical presentations the following month (March 1987). We don’t really know whether the plan has pursued or not. In my own research, the last time it was put on news was on November 2010. The news article mentioned that a certain Filipino-Norwegian conglomerate expressed its interest to “mine” Deuterium from the Philippine Trench off the cost of Surigao Province. After the news came out, nothing follows.

Since then, there was a long news blackout about the Deuterium Project, which means that it was not realized and implemented. This is the main reason why until now only a few has the knowledge about the Project. Take note, more than three decades has passed and nothing has been done and so nothing has changed for the Philippines and for the Filipino people. If it were implemented after the Project has been conceived and deliberated, then by now, every single Filipino is living in abundance and this country had been freed from the burden of foreign debt and thus enjoying financial freedom and economic prosperity.

Being true to myself and committed to my self-designed mission, I didn’t stop searching. I told myself that I should get into the bottom of it. Until one day, my diligence pays off. I found the Project that reveals the “mystery of God” – the Deuterium Project. It is on the hands of a Filipino Engineer who happened to be my cabalen. You better believe me because I was able to see and hold in my hands the Project in a book form. I even had the chance to browse it and read several pages from it. The Filipino Engineer even agreed to give me a xerox copy of the Project.

The Future Anticipated

The discovery of the Deuterium Project for me is like finding the legendary “holy grail”. Why? Because, I believe that Deuterium (H2) or Hydrogen Fuelis the ultimate and lasting hope of the Filipino people to rise from the “ashes of poverty”. This untapped source of vast energy supply, naturally deposited in the Philippine Trench will certainly make the Philippines one of the richest if not the wealthiest nation in the world.

However, making this thing happen requires a bold step forward and this has to be seriously undertaken primarily by the Philippine government. Below is the sequence of steps that our government should take in order to implement the Deuterium Project:

1. Recall the Deuterium Project Proponent.

2. Create a Technical Working Group that will further review the feasibility of the Project.

3. The group shall work hand-and-hand with the Project Proponent and his Associates once the Project is rolled out.

4. Organize International Conferences and Technical Presentations wherein International Investors will be invited to attend.

5. Give a wide media mileage to the Project to create public awareness.

6. Attract willing and able International Investors by providing a secured, efficient and policy-driven business climate.

7. And finally, create a Law that will establish the legal infrastructure of how the Project is to be implemented. The Law can be called “THE DEUTERIUM (H2) BILL OF 2020”.

Note: 20-20 is the gauge of a perfect vision, and I believe that among our government leaders, someone or a group of them will emerge as “visionary” to take a bold stand towards the implementation of The Deuterium Project.

Deuterium (H2): The Ultimate Hope of the Filipinos

The Filipinos have long been deprived of the opportunity to be unyoked from poverty. The Philippines has been suffering from economic disparity for so long. The time has come for a Great Awakening, and it was not yet too late, though the opportunity has been looming over the horizon for more than three decades now.

Hydrogen Fuel, which has an abundant and unlimited source in Deuterium, will be the future energy reserve. If the Philippines can tap this energy source, we can have a much better future and economic position than the rest of the world including the United States of America. Should we, as a nation, will have reached this point in our history, Philippines can then be described as the fabled “Promised Land” -- a land flowing with milk and honey. The United States of America once dreamed of sending a man to the moon. Now it is history. What she did to pursue that dream made her the world's most technologically advanced and economically prosperous nation. This could certainly happen to the Philippines anytime in the near future, without going to the Moon or even to any planet in the constellation. We don’t even need to dream because there are already hard evidences pointing to the direction and presence of a vast “natural wealth” waiting to be extracted. What we simply need to do is express in One Voice our strong desire that the Deuterium Project should be and must be implemented. Please be reminded

by this doctrine - Vox populi, Vox Dei! (the Voice of the people is the Voice of God!). Let us make this Voice be heard.

My Ardent Plea to the Philippine Government

“Our dear Government, hear the cries of thy people. Our hardships are indeed too much to bear. The staggering price hike of prime commodities nowadays is inflicting too much pain to our already-battered consciousness. Our daily encounter of transport and traffic problems is breaking down slowly our body, mind and spirit. The frequent onslaught of natural calamities in our country is literally “tearing us into pieces”. Until when and up to what point we Filipinos can able to bear all these things?”

“Please, with all due respect, focus your governance not only to the peace and order situation of the community by way of eliminating the “bad elements”, but more importantly, to the insurance of food security and provision of descent housing for every Filipino family. Above all, do every measure possible to secure the future generations of Filipinos.

The Deuterium Project should be and must be implemented. This is the ULTIMATE HOPE for the Filipinos, by the Filipinos and of the Filipinos! This will be the fulfilment of the “Filipino Dream”.

THE TIME IS NOW OR NEVER!

CHAPTER viii

THE PHILIPPINE TRENCH: A NATURAL DEPOT OF VAST ENERGY SUPPLY "We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came." --- John F. Kennedy

Personally, I believe, there is something to ponder about this quotation by one of the greatest Presidents America ever had – JFK. The ocean as the largest body of water, with all its vastness and depth holds the greatest mystery of the world. To prove this please read the Bible verse below:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters”. (Genesis 1:1–2)

Try to ponder upon the underlined phrase and focus your thinking on it. “The Spirit of God is hovering over the face of the waters.” For me, this makes water the most important element of life. Without it, there can be no life at all. The sea water is somewhat “spiritly-charged”. And therefore, it carries the most powerful energy on earth.

Additionally, the ocean floor has its own unique environment. Aside from the different species of sea creatures, big and small, there are different kinds of seaweeds, algaes and sea corals that adorn the sea world making it so colorful and teeming with life. It also has its own unique landscape. There are mountains, hills, valleys and trenches with different depth, length and width.

Among the trenches all over the sea world, one of the most distinct is in the Philippine area of responsibility –the Mindanao Trench, which is better known as the Philippine Trench.

What Is the Philippine Trench?

The Philippine Trench (also, “Philippine Deep”, “Mindanao Trench” or “Mindanao Deep”) is the 4th deepest trench in the world. It stretches with a length of approximately 1,320 kilometers and a width of around 30 kilometers from the Northeast top of Luzon up to the Indonesian Island of Malacca Halmahara. See the Satellite Image below:

To give us an overview about the Philippine Trench, I provided here some Quick Facts about it:

DEPTH: 10,540 meters were measured in its deepest point – the Galathea Depth. Mount Everest with its 8,846 meters of height would vanish smoothly in this deep-sea Trench. In comparison, the Pacific Ocean reaches only an average depth of 4,190 meters.

RECORD: Until 1970, the Philippine Trench was regarded as the deepest point of the earth, until deeper trenches were discovered thereafter.

 Deepest is the Mariana Trench – 11,034 meters

 2nd Deepest is the Tonga Trench – 10,882 meters

 3rd Deepest is the Kuril Trench – 10,542 meters

FORMATION: The Philippine Trench is a result of a collision of earth plates. The Oceanic Plate, approximately 5 kilometers mighty, but specific heavier (basalt) Philippine Sea Plate shifts itself with a rate from about 16 cm. per year under the 60 kilometers mighty, specific lighter (granite) Eurasian Plate and gets melted by the hot mantle of the earth in a depth from 50 to 100 kilometers. This geophysical process is called “Subduction”. In the Subduction Zone we can find the Philippine Trench.

DISCOVERY and MEASUREMENT: Measurements of the German ship “Emden” in 1927 delivered first indications of the depth of the Philippine Trench. Then in 1945, the US ship “Cape Johnson”, by using an echo-sounder, measured it at a depth of 10,497. In 1951, the Danish Research ship “Galathea” found a maximal depth of 10,540 meters.

RIGHTFUL OWNER: According to the International Sea Law, the Philippine Trench lies within the 200 miles Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines. Hence the Philippine Trench belongs to the Philippines. Whatever, is in this Trench, only the Philippines has the exclusive right to explore, mine or extract it for whatever purpose the government wants to be served.

Significance of the Philippine Trench

Aside from being the fourth deepest Trench in the world, The Philippine Trench holds the key to a “secret treasure” that was untapped for ages. It serves as a Natural Depot of the largest Deposit of Deuterium – the energy reserve of the future waiting to be tapped. If this vast deposit of Hydrogen Fuel were explored and extracted as what the Middle East did in the 50’s when they mined fossil fuel producing oil, the Philippines will become the biggest Hydrogen Fuel supplier of the whole world. And thence, the Philippines will become one of richest countries in the world.

Why in the Philippine Trench? Because Deuterium is more than twice the weight of ordinary water, it sinks, and in the process, OXYGEN separates naturally from Hydrogen when the pressure becomes about 10,000 psi or more. The usual ocean floor depth ranges between 2,000 meters to 3,000 meters. With the Philippine Trench at 7,000 meters to 10,540 meters deep, Deuterium is naturally trapped through the ages untapped by man through this day, replenished by nature through the North Equatorial Current Tidal Flow from more than 12,000 kilometers away in Central America to the Philippines hitting the Philippine Trench DIRECTLY PERPENDICULAR - the one and only Trench with the widest and longest resource flow of Deuterium in the whole world!

How Much Deuterium Deposit is in the Philippine Trench? The World’s largest DEPOSIT OF DEUTERIUM is IN THE PHILIPPINES – A big deposit of 868 miles long, 52 miles at widest point, and 3 miles at deepest point, replenished by nature 24 hours a day after Deuterium travelled more than 12,000 kilometers from Central America to the Philippines through the span of the Pacific Ocean when Planet Earth turns on its axis from West to East in unending perpetual motion.

Deuterium – Brief Facts Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen that is found in large quantities in water, more than one atom per ten thousand hydrogen atoms has a deuterium nucleus. The isotope is denoted “2H” or “D” and is normally known as “heavy hydrogen”. Deuterium is used in a number of conventional nuclear reactors in the form of heavy water (D2O), and it will probably also be used as fuel in fusion reactors in the future.  How Deuterium is Processed It electrolyzes out of water in the form of Hydrogen gas because Deuterium is CONCENTRATED HYDROGEN with element symbol, H2 (Hydrogen mass of 2 as distinguished from H2O in Water) subjected to the pressure of water mass at the ocean floor of about 10,000 psi or more because Deuterium obtained from depths of more than 7,000 meters below sea level and at more than 10,000 psi pressure causes the oxygen in water to disengage, separate and escape naturally from hydrogen leaving only Hydrogen isotopes to combine with other Hydrogen isotopes in forming Deuterium under pressure. And Deuterium under pressure, when exposed to room temperature or atmospheric condition, forms or electrolyzes naturally into Hydrogen Gas, in the same manner that LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) in LIQUID state transform into gas after fusion process with air in the atmosphere the moment LPG or LNG tank valves are turned on or opened. By taking out impurities from Deuterium, Li-Hy Fuel is produced by special simple process at very, very low cost known to this proponent and his associates. Cheap Hydrogen will reactivate all idled Hydrogen Based Industries internationally affected by high petroleum costs, and this will boost food, chemical, and metal industries worldwide.  Uses of Deuterium Deuterium is used in the production of (Hydrogen) Li-Hy Fuel now used in Canada, America, Germany and some parts of Sweden to provide fuel for cars, trucks, jet planes, etc. including solid Hydrogen for Spacecrafts Challenger and Columbia. Deuterium can replace gasoline, LPG, LNG, Avgas, etc. in powering all types of internal combustion engines. It does not emit pollutants or any harmful carbon monoxide and

does not cause any environmental problems because it is in the water family as emissions are nothing but water vapor or steam. Deuterium as Hydrogen Fuel can be used for cooking, lighting, heating, and as Heavy Water fuel for Reactors in electric power generation.  What About the Ultra-Dense Deuterium? A material that is a hundred thousand times heavier than water, and more dense than the core of the Sun, is being produced at the University of Gothenburg. The scientists working with this material are aiming for an energy process that is both more sustainable and less damaging to the environment than the nuclear power used today. Imagine a material so heavy that a cube with sides of length 10 cm weights 130 tons, a material whose density is significantly greater than the material in the core of the Sun. Such a material is being produced and studied by scientists in Atmospheric Science at the Department of Chemistry, the University of Gothenburg. A. Towards commercial use So far, only microscopic amounts of the new material have been produced. New measurements that have been published in two scientific journals, however, have shown that the distance between atoms in the material is much smaller than in normal matter. Leif Holmlid, Professor in the Department of Chemistry, believes that this is an important step on the road to commercial use of the material. The material is produced from heavy hydrogen, also known as Deuterium, and is therefore known as “ultra-dense deuterium”. It is believed that ultra-dense deuterium plays a role in the formation of stars, and that it is probably present in giant planets such as Jupiter. B. An efficient fuel So, what can this super-heavy material be used for? “One important justification for our research is that ultra-dense deuterium may be a very efficient fuel in laser driven nuclear fusion. It is possible to achieve nuclear fusion between deuterium nuclei using high-power lasers, releasing vast amounts of energy”, says Leif Holmlid. The laser technology has long been tested on frozen deuterium, known as “deuterium ice”, but results have been poor. It has proved to be very difficult to compress the deuterium ice sufficiently for it to attain the high temperature required to ignite the fusion.

C. Energy source of the future Ultra-dense deuterium is a million times more dense than frozen deuterium, making it relatively easy to create a nuclear fusion reaction using high-power pulses of laser light. “If we can produce large quantities of ultra-dense deuterium, the fusion process may become the energy source of the future. And it may become available much earlier than we have thought possible”, says Leif Holmlid. “Further, we believe that we can design the deuterium fusion such that it produces only helium and hydrogen as its products, both of which are completely non-hazardous. It will not be necessary to deal with the highly radioactive tritium that is planned for use in other types of future fusion reactors, and this means that laser-driven nuclear fusion as we envisage it will be both more sustainable and less damaging to the environment than other methods that are being developed.”

How Much Wealth Will Deuterium Bring to the Philippines? At 12 million barrels per day capacity priced at US$7.00 per barrel, this is US$84 million per day or US$30.66 billion (1.6 Trillion in peso) per year, enough to wipe out all existing foreign debts of the Government in less than 5 years, revenue-wise in Foreign Exchange. (As of April 2018, the Philippine foreign debt is at 6.88 trillion pesos) Public works, private construction, economic and financial booms are expected to happen in the Philippines in the same manner as those which happened in the Middle East and financial centers of the world from 1974 to 1984, with everybody earning their respective comfortable livelihood, while pricing basic prime necessities at reasonable and affordable levels. How Much Employment Will Be Generated? As the Feasibility Study on the Project has been started, this proponent estimates that the Deuterium Project’s combined production capacities will employ no less than 350,000 personnel of international pay rates and allowances for unskilled, semi-skilled, technical, and professional levels from the Philippines. Less than 2,000 foreign nationals will also be employed on the transfer of technology. The type of operation is the same as those in the Middle East petroleum production facilities, with the same pay rates so as not to disturb international energy pricing and economy of costs.

What Has to be Done?

The Deuterium Project has long been overdue. It has been looming over the Philippine horizon for more than three decades now. If it were implemented 32 years ago then by now, every single Filipino is living in abundance and this country had been freed from the burden of foreign debt and thus enjoying financial freedom and economic prosperity. However, it wouldn’t be too late for the starving Filipinos. We have waited for so long and so we can still wait for a little more. The Deuterium Project must be pursued and implemented. And now more than ever, is the right time

Now because the economic condition of the Filipinos is getting worst. Now that the legendary resilience of the Filipinos is slowly crumbling down because they can no longer bear the yoke of hardship. Now that a National Crisis is about to take place.

Nonetheless, making this thing happen requires a bold step forward and this has to be seriously undertaken primarily by the Philippine government. The sequence of steps that our government should take in order to implement the Deuterium Project was already provided at the outset.

“I DON’T KNOW BUT I CAN FEEL A STRANGE CALMNESS, WHICH REMINDS ME OF AN ALARMING PHENOMENON THAT THERE IS ALWAYS CALMNESS BEFORE A STORM.”

CHAPTER ix

FOOTPRINTS OF TIME: “MOSAIC PIECES”

OF PHILIPPINE’S ANCIENT HISTORY

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” --- Marcus Garvey

We can only understand the present and prepare for the future if we have the full knowledge of the past. This is a fact which makes History one of the most interesting subjects in the school curriculum because it holds the records of the past. Above anything else, the study of history of every nation should be given primal importance in every learning institution. It should be fully inculcated in the mind of the citizenry to establish a solid cultural identity and strong sense of nationalism and patriotism.

However, what if the history taught to us is not the real story? Or, it might be the real story but partial or incomplete? Or, and this is more serious, the story was distorted? Distorted because those who composed the story were driven by their own ulterior motive making their presentation of historical accounts subjective rather than objective? In such case, history will become distorted and misleading. And a nation with distorted history is like a tree which might have roots but does not bear fruit that establishes its own identity.

I’m afraid this is the case of Philippine History. It is “doctored” and incomplete. The Philippine history we commonly have knowledge about, dates back only from the 16th century when Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese colonizer, “allegedly” discovered the Philippine islands. Take note of the word “discovered”. From the dictionary it means “found” or “located”. Hence, before the coming of the Spanish colonizers in year 1521, the Philippines has long been in existence with her own original name, language and system of writing, distinct cultural identity, political structure and socio-economic activities. It goes without saying, that Philippines history has long been started before it was found or rediscovered by the Spanish colonizers. We are going to provide some proofs for this in this chapter.

In this chapter we are going to present some historical evidences which prove that our own history dates back to ancient times. Though these historical records are “sporadic” but then they can be considered as “mosaic pieces” that upon putting them together little-by-little, it will bring to light the total picture of what the history of this country truly is.

Finally, these small pieces of information and chunks of ancient records, some are culled from archeological artifacts, which we termed as “footprints of time”, will serve

us building blocks that would gradually reconstruct the ancient origin of our beloved country – The Philippines.

“Footprints of Time”

The history of the Philippines is believed to have begun with the arrival of the first humans using rafts or boats at least 67,000 years ago as the 2007 discovery of the “Callao Man” suggested. Negrito groups first inhabited the islands, followed later by groups of Austronesians.

Scholars generally believe that these social groups eventually developed into various settlements or polities with varying degree of economic specialization. Some of these settlements (mostly those located in river deltas) achieved such a scale of social capability that some scholars believe that they should be considered as early states. These include the predecessors of the modern-day population centers such as Maynila or Manila, Tondo, Pangasinan, Cebu, Panay, Bohol, Butuan, Cotabato, Lanao and Sulu as well as some polities like Ma-i which according to some scholars like Dr. Jose Rizal is the modern-day Mindoro.

At this juncture we are going to present some historical briefs that will support the above statement --- that the history of the Philippines dates back to ancient times.

Pre-History to 900 A.D

Discovery of the stone tools and fossils of butchered animals in Rizal and Kalinga described in a 2018 article in Nature has pushed back evidence of early hominins in the country to as early as 709,000 years. However, the earliest archeological evidence for man in the archipelago is still the 67,000-year-old Callao Man of Cagayan and the Angono Petroglyphs in Rizal, both of whom appear to suggest the presence of human settlement prior to the arrival of Negritos and Austronesian speaking people.

“Mosaic Pieces” of Ancient History

 The Callao Man

Archeologists in the Philippines have unearthed a 67,000-year-old human bone in a discovery they claim proves that the area was settled by man 20,000 years earlier than previously known.

The foot-bone found during a four-year excavation project of a network of caves predates the 47,000-year-old Tabon Man that was previously known as the first human to have lived in the Philippines. The discovery was made at the Callao Caves near Penablanca, Cagayan, 210 miles North of Manila.

Foot-bone of the Callao Man

 The Tabon Man

Prior to the discovery of the Callao Man, the Tabon Man was considered to be the oldest human in the Philippines. Evidence of this Homo sapien was discovered in the Tabon Caves complex in Palawan Island. The discovery was made by Dr. Robert Fox, an American anthropologist in 1962.

The skull and jaw of the Tabon Man

 The Angono Petroglyphs

Discovered in 1965, the Angono Petroglyphs is believed to be the oldest artworks in the Philippines. Dating to the 3rd millennia B.C., they are a collection of 127 figural carvings engraved on the wall of a shallow cave of volcanic tuff. In 1973,

they were declared a National Cultural Treasure, and in 1985 were listed on the World Inventory of Rock Art.

Rock Art on the Wall

 The Jade Culture of Batangas

Existence of a “Jade Culture” in the Philippines is evidenced by tens of thousands of exquisitely crafted jade artifacts found at a site in Batangas province. The jade artifacts which were made from white and green nephrite and dating as far back as 2,000 to 1,500 B.C. have been discovered at a number of archeological excavations in the Philippines since the 1930’s. The artifacts have been both tools like adzes, and chisels, and ornaments such as lingling-o earrings, bracelets and beads.

Metal lingling-o earrings from Luzon

 The “Chicken DNA”

In the latest study published in the American Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, an international team of researchers led by Alan Cooper, Director of the Australian Center of Ancient DNA (ACAD), at the University of Adelaide used ancient DNA to study the origins and dispersal of ancestral Polynesian chickens. They found that Polynesian chickens had their genetic roots in the Philippines, making this region a candidate for the homeland of this mysterious Lapita people who transported the domesticated bird to the Pacific islands. According to Professor Cooper, they don’t find this genetic signature anywhere else in the world except in the Philippines.

The Philippine Chicken

The results of the study revealed that the Philippines is the most likely ancestral homeland of the Polynesians, whose forebears colonized the Pacific about 3,200 years ago.

 Limestone Coffins of Quezon

In March 1, 2011, Filipino archeologists have unearthed remnants of a 1,000-year-old village in Mulanay, Quezon with limestone coffins of a type never before found in this Southeast Asian nation. The discovery of the rectangular tombs which were carved into limestone outcrops jutting from the forest ground is important because it is the first indication that Filipinos at that time practiced a more advanced burial ritual than previously thought and that they used metal tools to carve the coffins.

Archeologists measuring the length of one of the limestone coffins they discovered.

The tombs were similar to the ancient sarcophagus which became popular tourist attractions in Europe and Egypt, although the ones found in Quezon were just simple box-like limestone coffins without any mythological or elaborate human image on the tops and sides.

 The Laguna Copperplate

The end of Philippine Prehistory is year 900, the date inscribed in the oldest Philippine document found so far --- the Laguna Copperplate Inscription.

The Inscription Photo Image by Paul Morro

A high-contrast copy of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription. (Public Domain ) The inscription begins by providing a date: “Hail! In the Saka-year 822; the month of March-April; according to the astronomer: the fourth day of the dark half of the moon; on Monday.” The Saka era has its origins in India (supposedly marking the ascension of the Kushan emperor Kanishka), and the year 822 is said to correspond with the year 900 AD in the Gregorian calendar. The use of this calendrical system is further evidence that there were cultural links between this area of Southeast Asia and its neighbours, which at that time, were largely under the cultural influence of India. As for the subject matter of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, it has been suggested that the inscription is a “semi-official certificate of acquittal of a debt incurred by a person in high office, together with his whole family, all relatives and descendants.” This acquittal is also said to be confirmed by other officials/leaders, some of whom have been mentioned by name, along with their area of jurisdiction. These officials include “His Honor the Leader of Puliran, Kasumuran; His Honor the Leader of Pailah, representing Ganasakti; (and) His Honor the Leader of Binwangan, representing Bisruta.” The recording of these names suggests that there was some sort of political and social organization in the Philippines of the 10th century AD. Conclusion To conclude, the Laguna Copperplate, which would probably not attract instant public attention as gold or silver artifacts would, is in fact an immensely important object. This

seemingly insignificant artifact has sparked a re-assessment of the history of the Philippines prior to the coming of the Spaniards, in particular the 10th century AD, and the archipelago’s relationship with the rest of Southeast Asia. Indeed, our own historians have a lot of assignments to do --- the most urgent is to write our own Philippine history from pre-history to 900A.D. and the “mosaic pieces” of ancient record we presented here could serve as their basic outline.

Chapter X

“maharliKa”: the forCe to A GREAT AWAKENING

“There is something in a name...”

Every Nation has, it seems, at least two versions of history: first, what really happened; and second, the “doctored or distorted” version of what happened. The latter has made nearly all people to have little access to the truth and most of whom would blindly defend this “manufactured lie” to their death.

Thus, it is our duty to know and tell the real story of our people and plant the seeds of true freedom in the hope that someday we will return to our roots and be truly free from the bondage of Western slavery and the continued domination of the elitist oligarchs.

About the issue of “doctored or distorted” version of our history, we are not going to delve too much into it to avoid misconception. I am not challenging the credibility of the history books we read and studied from basic to tertiary education. However, I just want to underscore that the history written by our own historians was basically based on the accounts of our own colonizers and not primarily based on first-hand information which should have been handed down from the “aboriginal Filipinos”. Maybe because our colonizers had that “image-making mentality” to record their exploits which our forefathers didn’t have, because they were happily contented with what they are and what they have that time. It might also be because it was beyond their imagination that they will be subjected to foreign dominion.

In such case, our record of the past was prone to “distortion” which means that there was a greater tendency of subjectivity rather than objectivity. Had our history been written by our forefathers based on their own first- hand accounts and experiences and carefully passed it on from generations to generations thru the threads of our own cultural tradition, I believe we have now a better, more objective, complete and more colorful Philippine History book.

The “Maharlika” Issue One current issue that concerns every single Filipino is the idea floated by none other than the leader of this country – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. He suggested renaming the country, Philippines into "Maharlika," a word originally meaning “freemen” of the warrior class, to pay homage to the country's pre-colonial past.

The issue, though it’s still in the form of a suggestion or idea, has already earned varied reactions, specifically among academicians and historians. Most of them associate the

idea to President Marcos who first initiated the move to change the name of this country.

I’m afraid they’re missing the point of the matter. In my personal opinion, the main issue here is not in the name itself, but what the name connotes. Our concern should not be, whether “Maharlika” is the original name of this country or not, and we want to restore it, but what is in this name that we really need to regain. As the saying goes. “there is something in a name”.

“MAHARLIKA”: What’s in the Name?

Historical records and archeological evidences point to the fact that this country has its own glorious past. As to its name we provided historical traces that it was the land of Ophir where Solomon gathered shiploads of gold that were used to build the first Temple in Jerusalem. However, one distinct name that fitly ascribed to its amazing origin stand out – “MAHARLIKA”.

The term “Maharlika” is a loanword from Sanskrit, “Maharddhika” – a title which means “man of wealth, knowledge or ability”. In some Indo-Malaysian languages as the languages of Muslim areas of the Philippines, the cognates “mardika”, “merdeka”, “merdeheka” and “maradika” mean “freedom” or “freemen”. Additionally, the word “Merdeka” is what the Malaysians shout out loud every August 31 to celebrate the country’s Independence from the British rule. In the Sanskrit dictionary, the English translation of “maharddika” is “prosperous”.

These definitions propel our collective vision to restore the name “Maharlika” not just for the sake of changing the name of this country per se, but more importantly, to regain this Nation’s lost identity - as a “Land of Freemen” and as a “Land of Peace and Prosperity”. This book will attempt to lay down the framework for this grand purpose.

Pre-Colonial Period (900 AD to 1565): The Initial Recorded History

In the years leading up to 1000, there were already several maritime societies existing in the islands but there was no unifying political state encompassing the entire Philippine archipelago. Instead, the region was dotted by numerous semi-autonomous barangays (normally are coastal settlements ranging in size from villages to city-states) under the sovereignty of competing thalassocracies (small states with their own maritime dominion or territory) ruled by Datus, Wangs, Rajahs, Sultans or Lakans, or by upland agricultural societies ruled by "petty plutocrats".

 The Polity of Tondo

Since at least the year 900, thalassocracy centered in Manila Bay flourished via an active trade with Chinese, Japanese, Malaysia and various other people in Asia. Tondo thrived as the capital and the seat of power of this ancient kingdom, which was ruled by kings under the title “Lakan” which belongs to the class of “Maharlika”. They were the feudal warrior class in ancient Tagalog society. They ruled a large part of what is now known as Luzon, from the Ilocos region to Bicol, from possibly 900 A.D. to 1571 A. D., becoming the largest pre-colonial Philippine state. The Spaniards called them “The Hidalgos”.

 The Caboloan (Pangasinan) State

Pangasinan, or Feng-Chia-shih-lian in Chinese records, was a sovereign pre-hispanic Philippine state, notable for having traded with the Kingdom of Ryuku, Japan and was a tributary state to Ming Dynasty. The state occupied the current province of Pangasinan. It was locally known as the “Luyag na Kaboloan” (also spelled “Caboloan”), with Binalatongan as its capital. It existed in the fertile Agno River valley. It flourished around the same period, the Shrivijaya and Majapahit empires arouse in Indonesia, which has extended their influence to much of the Malay Archipelago. Urduja, a legendary woman warrior, is believed to have ruled in Pangasinan around the 14th century. The “Luyag na Kaboloan” expanded the territory and influence of Pangasinan, to what are now the neighbouring provinces of Zambales, La Union, Tarlac, Benguet, Nueva Ecija, and Nueva Vizcaya. Pangasinan enjoyed full independence until the Spanish conquest.

 The Nation of Ma-i

Around 1225, the Nation of Ma-i, a Buddhist pre-hispanic Philippine island-state centered in Mindoro flourished as an entrepot attracting traders and shipping from the Kingdom of Ryukyu to the empire of Japan. Chao Jukua, a customs inspector from Fukien Province of China wrote the Zufan Shi (”Description of the Barbarous People”), which described trade with this pre-colonial Philippine state. Its people were noted for their honesty and trustworthiness in trade.

 The Kedatuan of Dapitan

Kedatuan (ancient spelling: Kadatuan; Javanese romanization: Kedaton) were historical semi-independent city-states or principalities throughout ancient Maritime Southeast Asia in present-day Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. (Wikipedia)

Around the 12th century, a group of people from Northern Mindanao settled in a strait between mainland Bohol and the island of Panglao. Those people came from a nation from Northern Mindanao called Lutao (probably the animist Kingdom of what will soon be the Islamic Lanao). Those people established the Kedatuan of Dapitan in Western Bohol because the true indigenous people of Bohol in the Anda Peninsula and nearby areas were not open to them. The Kedatuan was first built with hardwood on the soft seabed. It engaged in trade with nearby areas and Chinese merchants. The Jesuit chronicler Alcina mentioned in his account a rich nation he called “The Venice of the Visayas”, pointing to the Kedatuan of Dapitan at that time. The Jesuit also tells about a Dapitan Princess named Bugbung Hamasanum, whose beauty caused her suitor, Datu Sumangga of Leyte, to raid parts of Southern China to win her hands.

 The Kedatuan of Madja-as

During the 11th century, several exiled Datus of the collapsing empire of Shrivijaya led by Datu Puti, made a mass migration to the central islands of the Philippines, fleeing from Rajah Makatunao of the island of Borneo. Upon reaching the island of Panay and purchasing it from a Negrito Chieftain named Marikudo, they established a confederation of polities which became the Kedatuan of Madja-as, the center of which is Aklan. The confederation reached its peak under Datu Padohinog. During his reign the confederation’s hegemony extended over most of the islands of the Visayas. Its people consistently made piratical attacks against Chinese Imperial shipping.

 The Rajahnate of Cebu

The Rajahnate of Cebu was a classic example of a Philippine state which is used to exist in Cebu island prior to the coming of the Spaniards. It was founded by Sri Lumay, otherwise known as Rajamuda Lumaya, a minor prince of the Hindu Chola Dynasty which happened to occupy Sumatra-Indonesia. He was sent by the Majarajah to establish a base for expeditionary forces to subdue the local kingdoms. However, he rebelled and established his own independent Rajahnate instead. This Rajahnate warred against the “Magalos” (Slave Traders) of Maguindanao and had an alliance with the Rajahnate of Butuan. It was also able to Indianize Kutai of South Borneo before it was weakened by the insurrection activities of Datu Lapu-Lapu.

 The Rajahnate of Butuan

By year 1011, Rajah Sri Bata Shain, the monarch of the Indianized Rajahnate of Butuan, a maritime state famous of its gold works, sent a trade envoy under

Ambassador Liken-Shieh to the Chinese Imperial Court demanding equal diplomatic status with other states. The request being approved, it opened up direct commercial links between the Rajahnate of Butuan and the Chinese empire, thereby diminishing the monopoly on Chinese trade previously enjoyed by their rivals – Tondo and the Champa civilization. Evidence of the existence of this Rajahnate is given by the Butuan Silver Paleograph.

The Butuan Ivory Seal

 The Sultanate of Sulu

In 1380, MammulMakdum and Shailah Hashem Syed Abu Bakr, an Arab trader from Johore arrived in Sulu from Malacca and established the Sultanate of Sulu. They converted its previous ruler, Rajah Bagunda to Islam and then marrying his daughter. This sultanate eventually gained great wealth due to the diving of fine sea pearls.

 The Sultanate of Maguindanao

The Sultanate of Maguindanao rose to prominence at the end of 15th century. Shariff Mohamed Kabungsuran of Johore introduced Islam in the island of Mindanao and subsequently married Paramisuli, an Iranum princess and established the Sultanate of Maguindanao. It ruled most parts of Mindanao and continued to exist prior to the Spanish colonization until the next century. The Sultanate also traded and maintained good relations with the Chinese, Dutch and British.

 The Sultanate of Lanao

The Sultanate of Lanao in Mindanao was founded in the 16th century through the influence of Shariff Kabungsuran who was installed as the first Sultan of Maguindanao in 1520. Islam was introduced in the area by Muslim missionaries and traders from the Middle East. Unlike in Sulu and Maguindanao, the Sultanate of Lanao was uniquely decentralized. The area was divided into Four Principalities called the Pat al Pangampong a Lanao. It consists of a number of Royal Houses known as the “16 Royal Houses” with specific territorial jurisdiction within mainland Mindanao. This decentralized royal power in Mindanao was adopted by the founders and maintained up to the present day in recognition of the shared power and prestige of the ruling class. It emphasizes the value of unity of the nation, patronage and fraternity. By 16th century, Islam had spread to other parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.

 The Kingdom of Maharlika

Below, is a rarely seen Map showing the different countries in Asian Region comprising the Kingdom of Maharlika. It is worthy of note that the said Map is labelled as: THE FAR EAST AND THE PACIFIC: 1941 – THE IMPERIAL POWERS. It was first printed on September 1, 1909.

In 1478, Muslims from the Malayan Peninsula crossed the Malacca Strait, and conquered Java, the capital of Madjapahit Empire. Subsequently, the Malay Srivijaya/Madjapahit disintegrated. In its place, a Muslim religious government was established integrating the reign of Sultanates.

A family of Majarajahs and Rajahs – the Tagean was then ruling the Madjapahit Empire. They retreated and consolidated their position in a group of 7,169 islands, known as the “MAHARLIKA” (renamed by the Spaniards as “Islas de Felipe” which came to be known as the Philippines until now). Being a descendant of Royal Malayan blood the Tagean family has its share of power, authority and riches from the collected taxes during the 900 year rule in the empire, and even two millennia earlier when there was commerce with King Solomon of Israel.

The Majarajah and his sons, the Rajahs, ruled the “Maharlika” using their own laws, the Code of Kalantiaw. The “Maharlika” then was very rich and a flourishing country. There was even an old historical report that by the early 16th century, the ruling Majarajah, Luisong Tagean, had 720,000 metric tons of gold that he kept in present day Kota Kinabalu, Sabah or North Borneo. At that time Sabah was part of “Maharlika”. (Source: History of Philippine Colonization by Spain)

Just in case you want to conduct investigation about such “treasure trove” for the sake of finding it, only two—thirds of it remained intact. And it is securely kept in the “National Treasure Chest” of “Maharlika”.

Conclusion

From the above discussion we can surmise that the history of the Philippines as a nation dates back to ancient times. The “mosaic pieces” of historical accounts and archeological evidences which we attempted to put together may serve as cornerstones that would gradually reconstruct the real history of this nation. Admittedly, the beginning of this nation is highly influenced by different and diverse cultures (Hindus, Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Polynesians, British, Malays and even Arabs and Muslims), but the fact remains that before the Spanish colonization, this country had been an alluring and famous trading post in the Far East.

In fact, its significance as a commercial Mecca dates back to Biblical times. It was the land of Ophir from where King Solomon gathered gold to build the Great Temple in Jerusalem came (as discussed in Chapter II).

It is also interesting to know the ancient places and areas in the Philippines, like Tondo, Pangasinan, Bohol, Mindoro, Panay, Sulu, Lanao, Dapitan, Butuan, Cebu, Maguindanao, etc. – that these places can be considered “cradles of civilization” in Southeast Asia being recognized as island states and powerful thalassocracies that time. This is in contrast of the unpopular and demeaning previous knowledge that the aboriginal Filipinos were uncivilized and even called “Indios” by the Spaniards”.

I believe there is a lot more to know about this beautiful country in the Far East. Our own historians, I think should consider doing a lot more of research in order to produce a true history of the Philippines. A History book to be read by the future generations of Filipinos, which then be called “Maharlikans” and who knows this might also pave the way of regaining this nation’s lost identity.

CHAPTER Xi

THE TRUE WEALTH OF A NATION IS ITS PEOPLE

“One human life is worth more than all the treasures of the earth”

--- Seth Adam Smith and Rio Van Winkle

It is really hard to think of what makes us proud about the Philippines, while knowing that she is struggling with a global image problem which can be summarized in three perceived social phenomena: culture of corruption, extreme poverty, and source of cheap manual labor. These are just some of the general impressions about this country that, while unpleasant, are seemingly true.

Additionally, and this is more disturbing, the Philippines is also perceived to be suffering from “cultural identity crisis.” According to some social observers, it’s hard to define what being a Filipino really means in terms of racial and cultural identity. While it is very obvious that we are of the Malay race or descent by the color of our skin, there is a lingering prejudice that we are more of a “mixed race” because we’ve been subjected to different foreign colonizers. And thus, they say, we don’t really have a pure and distinct “Filipino brand” of culture but more of a “mestizo” type of culture. Again, this is something not really good to know but it seems to be undeniably true.

However, despite so many negative impressions that quite often overshadow the positive ones, there are so many positive factors to be proud of. Chief of these is OURSELVES. The Filipinos are renowned all over the world for their remarkable and legendary qualities which really bring pride and honor to their country.

The Five Pillars of Filipino Character

There are five distinct qualities or characters that truly define who the Filipinos are. These qualities or traits are being observed and practiced not only among themselves but in everywhere wherever there are Filipinos. These traits which we call the five pillars of Filipino character are considered priceless treasures hidden in every Filipino men and women.

1. Innate Humanity

Filipinos are highly relational people, proficient in emotion and can easily socially-gel with other people. This spells our INNATE HUMANITY (in Tagalog – “pagiging makatao”). Our innate humanity is very much apparent in the caring

ways we show as we interact with those close to us, including those outside our kin circle.

This Filipina nurse shows it all, how to care for the elderlies.

Source: immigrant.spirit.com

In fact, this trait is one of the distinct assets of millions of Filipino doctors, nurses, caregivers, and even the nannies who are working abroad. Generally, we are known for our heartfelt concern, nurturing spirit and caring touch, which naturally make our workers very much in demand overseas. Though it may sometimes rub us the wrong way that our country is frequently associated with overseas labour (the Oxford Dictionary even gave a “derogatory” definition of the word Filipina as a “domestic helper” which has nothing to do with the word “Pinay”), we can always look at it in a more positive perspective. We can really stand proud with our heads up, of those Filipino workers who give exceptional and genuine care to the rest of the world. I am hoping that someday the elitist Editors of the Oxford Dictionary will read this Book and try to reconsider changing their definition of the word “Filipina”.

We are proud to salute our Overseas Filipino Workers as our own Unsung Heroes.

Two Filipina Caregivers recognized in Taiwan for taking care of abandoned kids

Source: ABS-CBN News

A Filipina domestic helper cited as Model Caregiver in Singapore

Source: Inquirer Global Nation

2. Legendary Hospitality

Another manifestation of our innate humanity is our world-famous HOSPITALITY. It truly amazes one who has experienced it. Foreigners who come to visit the Philippines speak of Filipinos going out of their way to help them when lost. We can also cite as a classic example the way Filipino families entertain their guests. In spite of their obvious non-affluence in life, they would do every possible way to be generous and to make their guests happily satisfied. They might not be able to provide the best food and accommodation but they

always try to give their best to make their guests feel the warmth of special treatment.

A painting depicting genuine hospitality the Filipino way

Source: statemit.com

Meanwhile, most foreigners who attend Filipino gatherings abroad attest to the warmth and friendliness of Filipinos as they experience that feeling of “belongingness” even if it’s their first acquaintance meeting with them. Indeed, Filipino hospitality is legendary and is not only to the Philippines but it is felt everywhere in the world where there are Filipinos.

Two foreigners are “swarmed” by joyful Filipinos in a balut-eating party

Source: Tanglednoodleblogspot.com

Our intrinsic humanity is best exemplified in our deep compassion for others - that kind of compassion that not only feels sympathy, but bothers the conscience to give help and relieve the suffering of others. Our compassion is visibly reflected in our personal capacity to assist others and in our collective spirit of volunteerism. The best manifestation of this is the spirit of “Bayanihan”.

A painting that demonstrates the Spirit of Bayanihan, an original Filipino

way of helping others

Source: iampinoy.com

3. Unique Creativity

Aside from our legendary hospitality, we Filipinos can be proud of our unique CREATIVITY - a distinct Pinoy creativity indeed. While being creative is not an exclusive trait possessed only by Filipinos, what makes ours distinct is the artistry, expressiveness, ingenuity, spontaneity and the element of humor imbedded in it. This creativity distinctiveness earns us the famous tagline “ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES”. Though some give negative connotation to this expression, but deep in ourselves we know what we mean by “Pinoy creativity”. It means creativity which is uniquely our own.

These Filipino kids learned how to be creative even in times of calamities

Source: technologyinquirer.net

Aside from the abundance of world-renowned Filipino talents in music and performing arts, our country is rich with visual artists, fashion designers, animators, technological innovators and many others.

The “Habal-Habal” Transport System – a genuine technological creativity of the Filipinos Yes, only in the Philippines, that we have this.

Source: sandspice.com

Filipino creativity, however, is not limited to the professional artists. The country’s Tourism campaign tagged as “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” is a remarkable testimony to the creative minds and spontaneous wit that Filipinos

generally show. This impromptu show of support to Philippine Tourism merely proves that we can use our collective ingenuity behind a common cause for the benefit of our country.

Spontaneous singing and dancing talents to entertain tourists

Source: balay.ph

4. Amazing Adaptability

Besides creativity, Filipinos are very well-known of their amazing character of ADAPTABILITY. We can manage to make do with little that we have and can easily make pleasure with simple things that we possess. We adapt very well in difficult situations and likewise showcase our resilience as a nation. Others may view this as a general acceptance of fate or a strange kind of coping mechanism, which according to them is a problem because it tends to make us lenient even to things that greatly affect us as individuals and the nation as a whole. According to some observers, this character makes us bear poverty instead of fighting it, and we tend to condone corruption instead of exposing it and be always on guard.

However, the fact cannot be denied that the Filipinos optimistic reaction to diversity, uncertainty and adversity, truly baffles, or at most amaze the world.

I don’ know how are you going to interpret the following picture. Besides, we are entitled to our own opinion. But for me, the image below is a classic example of Filipino creativity and adaptability combined. Imagine, at the midst of a calamity (flood) these bunch of friends were able to have bonding moments, with their food and drinks literally are on a floating table because their area was flooded.

CHEERS!

Source: filipinow.net

How many times do foreigners get astounded with Filipinos every after calamities? Aside from the pictures of the Filipinos survival efforts, foreigners are astonished by images of children having fun swimming in the flood waters or people in evacuation centers smiling and waving at the camera. Truly, the Filipinos are really amazing to be able to reflect a positive spirit of adapting to distress and finding solace and something pleasant amidst misfortune and misery.

Filipino children having some fun with the flood water

Source: flicker.com

These two kids can still manage to tease and smile even “disaster” is at the backdrop

Source:pinterest.com

5. Unbelievable Resilience

The last and the most remarkable among the five pillars is the Filipinos’ UNBELIEVABLE RESILIENCE. We are resilient as individual citizens and that makes our country a very resilient Nation. Resiliency is a distinct character of adaptability. When we are able to adapt to any kind of adversity, uncertainty and adversity, it aptly defines our being resilient. I can’t think of any better definition of Filipino resilience than what I got from a heartfelt comment posted by dudesk101 on the Comments Section of a CNN Article entitled “Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest ever hit Central Philippines”, written by CNN Reporter Jethro Mullen. It reads: “TIME to get to know the hardy Filipino people.…unbelievably resilient, long-suffering, good-natured, uber friendly, loyal, ingenious and a bunch of survivors. “At the end of the day, the Filipinos will just shake off the dirt from their clothes and thongsand go about their business…and SMILE. They do not complain much, they will bear as long as they can. “Maybe this is why they were given the ‘privilege’ of bearing the burden of the strongest typhoon ever recorded.”

Can you think of a better definition than this? If yes, then it could be the best. It is very explicit, vivid and it is heartfelt. Resiliency makes the Filipinos some kind of “hardy people” and “a bunch of survivors”. After every calamity, we “just shake off the dirt of our clothes and thongs” and make business as usual as if there was no calamity at all. And what baffles them most is, we can afford to smile in spite of the anguish and fear that we’ve been thru. Truly, we are trained not to complain much, and we are willing to bear as long as we can. And maybe, as what the Report said, this is the reason why we are given the “privilege” of bearing the burden of the strongest Typhoon ever recorded.

The devastation brought by Super Typhoon Yolanda is at a scale beyond measure

Source:GMA.network

Though it was not really a privilege to suffer the tremendous effect of Super Typhoon Yolanda, we understand however, that what the Report wanted to say is: God will not give us trials which He knows we cannot able to overcome. He will never give us problems that we cannot solve, and tribulations that we cannot bear.

Even the strongest Super Typhoon ever recorded was not able to break down the Amazing Resilience of the Filipino

Source: Rappler.com

Conclusion

Oftentimes, we are constrained by our negativity that causes us to ridicule or think little of ourselves. And this somehow spills over to how we easily scorn our country when bad things happen to us. When things didn’t turn good for us, as if it is our inherent right to question our leaders to the extent of putting the blames to the government. While the negative traits in us are admittedly real and contagious, these should not overpower us and lose our sight of the positive traits that we have. These unique traits of ours define our overall IDENTITY as people. And this IDENTITY of the individual Filipinos is a “National Treasure” worth more than all the gold of the world.

As one writer positively expressed, “Perhaps what better way to brag about the Philippines is to live out these legendary Filipino qualities the best way we can. After all, each one of us is the most convincing spokesperson of our country— the good and the bad we project ultimately impact the country’s image. Hopefully we can reduce the tendency to disparage ourselves, and instead accentuate the good in us with confidence towards transforming our nation”.

Chapter XIi

“nUeStro perdido eden”

“Adios Patria adorada, region del sol querida, Perla del Mar de Oriente, nuestro perdido Eden.”

--- Mi Ultimo Adios, Dr. Jose Rizal

The above famous line of Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios is the main catalyst for this book. This author believes that when Rizal has written his last farewell poem, dictated by his love of his country, he poured out all his soul and spirit and emptied his mind to figure out what the Philippines really mean to him. For our National Hero, the Philippines is the Pearl of the Orient Sea, known for her beauty and being blessed with richness in natural resources, which makes this country a “Garden of Eden” of some sort.

However, as what Rizal lamented in his poem, “nuestro perdido Eden”, which means that the “Eden-like status” of the Philippines was lost or forgotten. This lost glory or forgotten identity of this nation is what this book compared to the “Golden Wedge of Ophir” which must be regained. And if we really love this country, and have some amount of concern about her future, we are duty-bound to do something about it. Every single Filipino must take part in this great work which is our only way to the future and the only hope for this country in order to survive as a nation of men. If this great task were accomplished, then we can truly proclaim to the world with pride and dignity, that finally, we found “The Golden Wedge of Ophir”.

“Our Eden Lost” – What Does it Mean?

The preceding 10 chapters of this book collectively define why the Philippines is the Pearl of the Orient Sea and an Eden of some sort. Just to review, read the following bullet statements:

1. There are so many reasons that make the Philippines a country to be proud of. First and foremost, she has her own unique identity that defines her dearth or rarity which can be compared to the “Golden Wedge of Ophir”.

2. The Philippines is the ancient Land of Ophir from where King Solomon’s gold to build the Temple in Jerusalem came and this makes her a tributary to one of the most holy and greatest works of man dedicated to God.

3. The Philippines as the Land of the Morning Sun, is among the first nations in the Far East to receive the first sun light that marks the beginning of every new day. This might be the reason why we Filipinos have undying hope which makes us amazingly resilient.

4. Because of her richness in natural beauty and resources, the Philippines is really a rare Pearl of the Orient Sea that magnetizes the aesthetic appetite of foreigners and their cravings for more material riches.

5. The Philippines has in its possession the largest sea pearl in the world which support all the more her being the “Pearl of the Orient Sea”.

6. The Philippines with the Banaue Rice Terraces, make her the only country in the whole world that has a naturally-unique “Stairway to Heaven”.

7. Having the largest natural deposit of Deuterium – the energy supply of the future, the Philippines will become the wealthiest nation in the world.

8. The Trench which serves as a vast natural depot of hydrogen fuel is in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (PEEZ), which means that this country will become the biggest supplier of the renewable energy of the near future.

9. There are “mosaic pieces” of historical accounts and archeological evidences which prove that the Philippines, originally “Maharlika”, has her own glorious past and that makes her to be considered a “cradle of civilization” in the Far East.

10. The true wealth of the Philippines (“Maharlika”) is its People, with their world-renowned and legendary qualities that manifest everywhere where there are Filipinos.

But What Happened to the Philippines and to the Filipinos?

We have all the richness in natural resources, beautiful landscape, and amazing people, but look at what happened to the Philippines. The Filipinos remain to be poor and our country is way far from gaining financial freedom because of her huge foreign debt. We can freely surmise that this country’s path to development and nationhood was not that smooth because of foreign colonization for hundreds of years before she gained her independence. Being subjected to three foreign powers, our identity as free nation was corrugated with foreign cultural influence which sowed the seeds of colonial mentality to the Filipinos’ subconscious mind. However, the sad thing is, not only the foreign colonizers who have tarnished our rarely unique identity and consequently affected the suppose-to-be bright future of this country, but we Filipinos as well, through the collective misdeeds and unwanted attitudes that we have.

The following undeniable stark realities are the contributing factors why the Philippines lost her Eden-like status as described in Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios – “Nuestro perdido Eden”

1. Culture of Corruption. This can be considered as one of the worst problems in our country. The culture of corruption is so deeply entrenched in the government system which makes the different development programs so slow and some projects were not completely implemented. This is because of the inconvenient truth that the budget extracted from people’s taxes are diverted to spurious projects if not pocketed by political scalawags. We can readily see some proofs of this by examining how our road networks and other infrastructures are built. Some of these, though completed, but not in accordance with the material requirements and specifications duly approved, making them sub-standard in quality. We can also see unfinished road projects, especially in remote provinces, though the intended budget was already used up. Road repairs are even doubted by the citizens to be a “money making scheme” of some local executives, rather than showcase of sincere public service. This saddening fact brings the message that the citizens are very much aware about the reality of corruption in this country.

2. Extreme Poverty. Sixty percent of the population belongs to the poverty line and only 20 % can be considered to be well-to-do. And take note of the disparity, 80 % of the country’s whole wealth is either owned or controlled by only 20 % of the population – these are the Taipans, owners of international and local business conglomerates and some are owned by government officials including retired military and police officers. The financial divide is so glaring in this country – the rich becomes richer and the poor becomes poorer even more. While the few rich lives in their huge villas and mansions situated in exclusive subdivisions and posh villages, millions of our countrymen are informal settlers, having no descent house of their own. While the few rich eats with festive bounty in their long mahogany tables, thousands of Filipinos, young and old, are begging for morsel of food in the streets. In the countryside, many families hardly struggle to live in a one-day-one-eat basis. This miserable condition of some Filipino families was further aggravated by the continued price hike of basic commodities which slowly breaking down their spirit of resilience.

3. Political Mafia and Narco-politics. The main reason why it is so hard to solve the problems on criminality in our country is that criminal activities are so well-structured that some of the main players are the ones who are supposed to be solving it. Some of them are political leaders occupying influential positions and some are in the law enforcement agencies which make them so powerful. This is

the case of the country’s drug problem. How can it be solved if some of the political leaders are “drug dealers” themselves, and the law enforcers are acting as cohorts and protectors of drug lords in lieu of enticing huge amounts of drug money? This has been the order of the day for decades and we’ve been almost on the brink of becoming another Columbia wherein politicians are being “manipulated” like puppets by drug lords because they are being waged by drug money. Thankfully, for the meantime, we had a respite due to the coming of the current administration because of its unrelenting war on drugs. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that it should be the “roots” of the problem that are to be cut off and not just the twigs and leaves. However, after the Duterte administration, the big question is, what will happen to the drug trade and drug-related problems in this country?

4. Ideological Conflicts. It kept me wondering, since I was a teen and began seeking for answers, why there are rallies and demonstrations every time the President delivers his State of the Nation Address (SONA), instead of staying at home and discerningly listening to what the President is telling the nation. I also kept on asking why there are armed groups like the New People’s Army (NPA) and Muslim rebels who are agitating the country’s peace and order situation. Until I discover the answer myself through observed social phenomena and recurring news reports. I came to know that rallies and demonstrations are symptoms of public discontentment. Citizens are not fully satisfied with how things are going on. They feel that they are not getting what they deserve to get, which, in their mind it means that the government is falling short of their expectations. On the other hand, there are rebels because of having different and conflicting ideologies. There are leftists and rightists pursuing their own ideology and belief systems which do not normally conform to the orthodox and established system of government. The sad thing is they even resorted to terrorism and some criminal activities just to advance their own political agenda and adverse claims.

5. Political Dynastyism. This is another problem with our political system. Political clans tend to stay in power as long as they want, making their locality as if their own kingdom by inheritance. They have designed their own political succession scheme wherein members of a particular clan or family alternately hold political positions in their locality. Name a province and I can tell you who the ruling clan is. That is how political dynastyism is so deeply entrenched in our country’s political system. As if there are no more other persons who are qualified to become public servants except them. This is not only unfair but an insult to those who might have the capacity and the dedication to serve the public rather than themselves but were not given a fair chance. However, we

should also know that this system has been perpetuated because of the prevailing political culture in this country. You can only able to run for a public office if you are moneyed, because money talks during election. Let’s just pray that the Anti-Political Dynasty Law which is currently pushed by our lawmakers will successfully be implemented in order to have a real right of suffrage in this country. Nonetheless, in order to totally uninstall political dynastyism in this country, what is more important than the law is the uncompromised integrity of the individual voters. Their vote should not be for sale.

6. Bureaucracy. This unwanted social phenomenon can be considered as the “termite” of Philippine government service. It continually agonizes the citizens and it needs to be put out should we want to speed up our country’s progress. This system is wasting time and money and it slowly eating up the patience of the Filipinos. Imagine spending weeks or even months just to get a business or construction permit, while in fact, having the right system and of course right work ethics of the office front-liners it can easily get things done in a matter of three to five days only. It’s really a good thing for the government to be centralized to ensure the control of power, but government services should be decentralized by simply delegating power of granting approval to subsequent agencies which are also subject to monitoring and control. But, do you know what perpetuated this norm in government transactions? This is because bureaucracy is the “prodigal son” of corruption. Consequently, this “culture of procrastination” has taught some a bad lesson that in order to get more easily what they want, they have to put money “under the table”. It is interesting to know that the Duterte administration is addressing this perennial problem, but I think our lawmakers should come up with a law that would penalize the perpetrators.

7. Environmental Problems. The frequent onslaught of natural disasters in the country is sending us a strong message that we have caused great damage to the environment and it’s now fighting back. Our forest trees are vanishing due to illegal logging activities making mountainside communities so prone to flash floods and landslides. Our mining industry is so irresponsible causing great damages to our natural resources and contaminating our sea waters and other water tributaries because of improper disposal of mining wastes. We do not have enough technology to conserve and protect our beautiful and unique coral reefs and rich biodiversity. We even let foreign intruders pretending to be researchers, gather our own coral reefs and transfer these to their own territories. Worst is, until now, we don’t even know how to properly dispose our wastes which makes the entire Metro Manila and other cities so prone to flooding because most of the canal systems and water tributaries are clogged with plastic waste and garbage

debris of almost any kind. Let us all remember that “what we sow is what we reap” and what you throw will come back to you. Additionally, human settlements, especially in the metropolis, are poorly-planned making it both a deterrent and threat to the flow of natural ecosystem.

8. Traffic Problem. Do you know that our government is losing 6 billion pesos more or less a day due to the traffic problem? You better do simple research on this for you to confirm. From the latest survey we are ranked 2ndamong the countries having the worst traffic situation in the world. Unless this is solved, our economy will continually suffer incremental economic losses, aside from the fact that this problem is slowly eating up the Filipinos’ patience. We can see that our government is testing one scheme after another just to address this problem but the ultimate solution is still far from realization.

Only few are those who know that our traffic problem, particularly at EDSA, is a simple math problem of volume against space. The volume of transport vehicles plying along EDSA is far away greater than the volume capacity of EDSA. Hence, we should not wonder that at times of convergence, during rush hours, EDSA is instantly becoming a long parking lot.

The ultimate solution here is two-pronged - increase the space by way of constructing either a parallel skyway or subway with EDSA and, like what is currently being undertaken, creating other bypass road networks wherein there is no more need for motorists to pass along EDSA. Another structural design that could ease up traffic at EDSA is creating D-Loops at crucial points. These D-Loops shall serve as loading and unloading zones without obstructing the traffic flow at EDSA. The other thing to do is regulate the volume of transport vehicles plying along EDSA based on predetermined data. However, this can only become viable and acceptable to motorists once good alternate routes are provided. Additionally, I think it’s about time to come up with a law that would legally phase out old motor vehicles (5 years old and above), and, totally ban the importation of “chop-chopped” motor vehicles and then re-assembled and re-used here.

9. Food Shortage. I found it so ironical that the Philippines being basically an agricultural economy, is experiencing rice and vegetable shortage, to the extent that our government is forced to import such products just to augment our available food supply. By travelling North or South of Metro Manila, immediately at the outskirts, we can see vast tracts of idle lands. More so when you go to Mindanao, thousands of hectares of idles lands are there without any form of agricultural activities. By doing simple soil analysis it can easily be determined

that such lands are so fertile and thus very viable for rice and vegetable production. However, what is the Department of Agriculture doing? Instead of giving its full support to the farmers, financially and technologically, in order to increase local food production, it even recommends importation of rice, vegetables and even aquatic products like fish. Why not come up with an intensive national program to utilize all idle lands for food production? I think we should go back to the land because it is only from it that we can produce the foods that we need. Let us also re-orient the youth about farming and agriculture by bringing it back to the school curriculum. Our own breed of farmers is slowly vanishing due to age. Who are going to take charge in the food production if we won’t prepare the youth for this great task? We should begin preparing next generation of farmers should we want to ensure food security for the Filipinos in the next decades.

10. Escalating Prices of Basic Commodities – At present, almost every day, price of prime commodities increases. Within this year, in just few months, prices are almost doubled. Our own currency continues to be devaluated. The inflation rate is a record high at 6.7 %. The ordinary Filipino workers are agonizing in pain because making both ends meet became a daily struggle for them. There is already a cloud of restlessness that is looming over the Philippine horizon. There is now a collective clamor and sentiment that the government should do something to solve this problem. The continued price hike must be put on hold, because we will never know how long and until when can the Filipinos able to bear it. The Filipinos are known for being amazingly adaptive and resilient. They are willing to suffer as long as they can. Nonetheless, Filipinos are also known for their bravery and boldness to face any adversity especially when their rights and life are at stake. They are more than willing to risk their lives in order to protect their family and their right to live. They are not afraid to go to the streets carrying placards to voice out their sentiments, especially when they feel that the government seem to be deaf and insensitive to their clamour and needs.

Conclusion

These stark realities though unpleasant, but all are undeniably true. However, they must not be treated as permanent conditions but common societal problems that can be solved. Solving them is not that easy and cannot be done overnight. Some of which seem to be “institutionalized” being in place for quite a long time. Some are systemic being perpetuated by forced acceptance. Nonetheless, there is a Science that can change anything. This is the Science of Great Awakening. This Great Awakening will transform into a Great Work – The only Filipino Way to the Future.

Chapter XIIi

The Great Work: The Filipino Way to the Future

“One small step to a Man, one giant leap to Mankind.”

--- Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11

The foregoing stark realities are all indicators that the Philippines really have lost her Eden-like status – her glorious past and unique identity. These are the main reasons why this country is lagging behind in terms of socio-economic and technological development as compared to the rest of Asian countries. The big question now is: Is there still hope for this country that her lost glory and identity can be regained? This book already gave the answer right from the very start – yes there is still hope, but only if we Filipinos want to. I know it will be a tall order, but something has to be done. It would be a great work and every single Filipino must do his/her own share in regaining this nation’s lost glory and identity. This is our only way to the future – our Eden lost has to be regained.

To regain our nation’s lost glory and unique identity, the following eight (8) courses of action must be undertaken and every single Filipino has to take part. These eight (8) courses of action represent the eight (8) rays of the sun in our flag distinctly representing the eight provinces which bravely fought for our Freedom.

1. Let Us Love Our Country. Love is the strongest force in the whole universe. If we only learn how to truly love our country, the way our heroes love her, it will be a formidable force that will make everything possible for this country. If our leaders really love this country, they will do everything they can to better her condition in the name of sincere public service. They will never let this country continually suffer from different social ills and struggling to win international recognition as an independent and developed nation of Southeast Asia. They will do everything possible to build a positive image for this country no matter what it takes. And if we citizens, really love this country, we will not just “ask what she can do for us, but we will keep on asking what we can collectively do for her.” We will always be seeking for solutions for her problems rather than creating additional problems and then put the blame on the government. Finally, if we really love our country, we will be more than willing to offer our lives for her sake.

Our government should come up with different programs that would instill deep love for country. One approach this author wants to suggest is reinforce the teaching of Philippine History (but an updated and corrected version) in every

school, specifically the life and works of our national heroes. I think the best example that we could emulate in doing this is Israel. Their approach in teaching history to their children is in the form of “indoctrination”. The Israelites know their history by heart and this makes their love of their country so deep and strong. They suffered severe persecutions, they were literally uprooted from their land of birth, and were dispersed in different countries, but because of their belief that they are the nation of God, they strived hard to return to their promised land and were able to restore their nationhood and independence.

2. Let’s Go Back to Our Original Roots. Before Spain colonized the Philippines in 1521, the Filipinos then were already organized and wealthier. Facts seem far different from what we were taught in schools. It was even mentioned that the Filipinos then are not primitive but high standards in their crafts and commerce and possess intelligence. Experts even mentioned that Philippines’ ancient gold treasures are unbelievably more crafted than what was found in the Pyramids of Egypt.

Let us go back to our original roots and unique distinction as the “Land of Freemen and Prosperity”. The Philippines then was the prosperous and powerful “Kingdom of Maharlika”. Its citizens were not “Indios” as what the Spanish Conquistadores discriminately called them, but persons of wealth and authority as Majarajahs, Lakans, Sultans and Datus. A royal blood runs through our veins and therefore we are not slaves of any form of masters.

Hence it is imperative for all of us to stop calling ourselves “Filipinos” – a Spanish slave name. In the interim, and the time is now, let us begin calling ourselves “Maharlikans” – proud citizens of the “United Kingdom of Maharlika” – a new brand of name for the Philippines.

3. Let Us Develop and Practice Self-discipline. If we were to look deeper at our own personal and societal problems, we can surmise that the root cause is lack of self-discipline. Our problem on traffic became worst because both drivers and pedestrians do not have discipline. They do not strictly obey traffic rules. Drivers beat the red light, they ignore traffic signs, they load and unload even in no loading and unloading zones, they park their vehicles wherever they want to, etc. On the other hand, pedestrians walk on roads instead on foot walks. They cross streets not through zebra lanes and they are lazy to go through foot bridges. They flag down vehicles even in no loading areas, and worst is, they can manage to toy with speeding cars in highways not minding of the great risk of accident.

If our leaders were self-disciplined, there will be no corruption in the government, and bureaucracy will not be installed. They will never condone any illegal activity that will compromise their honour and dignity as civil servants. Above all, if all our leaders were self-disciplined their prime concern will be the welfare of the people they serve rather than their own.

Lack of self-discipline is also the root cause of our environmental problems. Only a few have learned how to segregate their waste and put it into practice. Some just throw their garbage anywhere instead of putting it in trash bins after doing the very simple process of segregation. If we can only develop and practice self-discipline, 80 per cent of our problems can probably be solved.

I believe it’s about time to consider this thing very seriously – Let us build a Culture of Discipline in a national scale. The Smoking Ban in Public Places is one step towards this end. But I think the inculcation of self-discipline should be institutionalized by way of making it a part of the school curriculum. More than the 4 C’s (Life Skills for the 21st Century) self-discipline should be the most important virtue to be cultivated and practiced from childhood to adulthood.

4. Let Us Make this Country a Thinking Nation. The most abject form of poverty is poverty of the mind which is manifested in squandering away one’s ability to think critically, especially to think of solutions to personal and community problems. And the worst form of slavery is mental slavery which equates to miseducation of the mind.

There is an urgent imperative that the current educational system must be re-evaluated and then reformed. It is heavily linear which perpetuates rote memorization than transfer of learning. This means that our system of education fails to fully develop the thinking power of the learners because the methods, tools and strategies we are using do not provide the platform for comprehensive mental literacy.

Along this line, we should come up with a National Program dedicated to the promotion of Mental Literacy and Lifelong Learning. This Program will serve as a catalyst to transforming this country into a “Thinking Nation” as a viable means of eradicating poverty through multi-party collaborations for sustainable development.

Only when this country transforms into a “Thinking Nation” Maharlikans truly become Freemen and only when we experience inclusive prosperity can we truly claim true liberty.

5. Great Awakening. The central idea of this book is to awaken the “Maharlikan spirit” within us all Filipinos. The key to great awakening is deep social consciousness, and deep social consciousness starts within our soul that connects us to a Supreme Being. The possibility of unity among the “Maharlikans” depends largely on our ability to go beyond our religious differences. Both Christians and Moslems need to trace their roots before they were indoctrinated to “mysterious monotheism”. Before Islam and Christianity came over and conquered our lands, we as a people were very spiritual and consciously connected to the spirits of our ancestors and that of Nature herself. The worship of Nature is saner than idolatry – the worship of false idols organized for the control of man by man.

We can all be spiritual but not religious, socially conscious but apolitical. Animism is not the religion of savages as our ancestors has been portrayed in Western literatures. Animism is the acknowledgement of the Truth that Nature herself is the real Supreme Being of All. Nothing could be higher and every man/woman shares in her divinity.

Animism could be a unifying factor for Christians and Moslems. Each could maintain their respective rituals and belief system. However, both should maintain spiritual connectivity with Mother Nature without necessarily worshipping her as deity or god. More importantly, both should love and respect Mother Nature because such is the highest form of spirituality.

6. Pursue the Deuterium Project. As discussed in Chapter VIII, this is the ultimate hope for the Philippines to rise from the ashes of poverty. The largest deposit of Deuterium, the energy of the future, is at the Philippine Trench, waiting to be extracted. If this natural wealth were tapped, the Philippines will become the biggest supplier of Hydrogen Fuel in the world, and this would certainly make this country one of the richest nations in the planet. Estimates provide us staggering figures - daily production is placed at 12 million barrels a day. If priced at 7 US dollars per barrel, that would be USD 84 million a day, within the span of 50 years or more. In only 5 years of operation, the Philippines can able to pay her current foreign debt. The operation will also generate thousands of jobs giving the standard international pay rate, and like what happened in the Middle East in the 1970’s, there will be economic boom in this country making every single Filipino live a comfortable life. This whole period of economic prosperity will be recorded in history as “The Golden Age of Maharlika”.

The details of the Deuterium Project have been discussed in Chapter VIII. We must be aware of the presence of a vast deposit of a natural wealth that can make every single Filipino financially well-off and live comfortably especially the coming

generations. This author enjoins everyone to ardently pray that the Deuterium Project be pursued by the government and the time is now or never.

7. It’s High Time to Unite and Move as One. Once and for all, let us forget all the ideological and regional differences that we have. We might have our own personal ideology and culture due to our differing world views and belief systems, but there should only be one ideology that reigns over our consciousness and that is the Filipino ideology. We might be speaking different dialects because of different regional orientations, but we should not forget that we are all Filipinos and Filipino should be our common language of communication and culture. This author believes that the strongest uniting factor for the Filipinos is the “scarlet thread” that runs through our veins and defines our common root. It is the blood that gave us our distinct race – the Malay race. With all the great challenges that we are facing nowadays, it’s high time to unite and stand as one and let us move forward. United, we will stand strong and be able to get over the undesirable condition we are in right now. Divided, we will surely fall and cannot able to rise again.

Let us go back to the genuine spirit of Bayanihan – the ingenuous Filipino way of helping one another. If we do Bayanihan in a national scale, slowly but surely, we can rebuild our country and make it a really strong nation. The best proof I can offer that the Filipinos are able to unite and act as one is the Iglesia Ni Cristo Phenomenon – an indigenous religious organization. Majority of its members are Filipinos even abroad. Study their worldview and belief system, even in their manner of worship and you can observe absolute unity and uniformity. Observe how they vote during election and you can see solid oneness because they follow only one rule – the doctrine of God and only one voice – their esteemed Leader.

8. Join the Maharlikan Restoration Movement (MRM). To carry out the above courses of action there is a need for the formation of a Movement in a national scale. Relative to our golden goal the movement will be known as the Maharlikan Restoration Movement (MRM). MRM will be composed of Filipinos who subscribe to the ideals and objectives of the Movement. Its primary purpose is to unite the Filipinos towards a common goal – to regain this nation’s lost glory and identity. I enjoin every Filipino, here and abroad to join this Movement.

How to Join?

1. Visit our Website (www.maharlikarm.com)

2. Fill out the MRM Registration Form, then, submit.

3. Read and Share this Book to other Filipinos here and abroad.

Chapter Xiv

How the NEW “United Kingdom of Maharlika” is Envisioned?

No matter how barren the past may have been, ‘tis enough for us now that the leaves are green.”

----- Sir Lancelot

This will be the ultimate fulfilment of the “Filipino Dream”— to regain this Nation’s lost identity and restore its forgotten glory and grandeur. And this would start with the regaining of its original name – “Maharlika”. To signify the enlightened unity of the citizens and their awakened spirit of solidarity, the Philippines will now be called the “United Kingdom of Maharlika”.

Having a continuous flow of wealth in the national coffer, within the span of half century or more, because of Deuterium exploration, the government of “United Kingdom of Maharlika” could easily do “restoration” and development projects in a national scale. This author envisions the “United Kingdom of Maharlika” as a fully-developed country in terms of the following socio-economic development frameworks:

1. A New Megapolis: As we all know, the whole of Metro Manila, specifically the Cities of Manila, Marikina, Pasay, Paranaque, Malabon and Navotas are “rotten underneath”. A clear indication of this is there is always flood every time it rains. Geologically, these places were coastal and reclaimed areas, and there are indications of continuous seepage of sea water underneath. Additionally, Metro Manila is so densely populated because of continuous urban migration. This brings the problem on informal settlers illegally occupying public lots and even easements of rivers and esteros which consequently aggravated our environmental problems. The whole of Metro Manila is also heavily polluted (air, water and noise) because of improperly-disposed wastes, huge volume of motor vehicles, and presence of giant manufacturing industries.

Hence, there is an urgent need for Metro Manila to be decongested to give way to an intensive rehabilitation and “environmental resuscitation” should we want to retain on Map all its cities. Decongestion includes not only people but manufacturing industries and motor vehicles as well.

In order to effectively do this, the government should implement the Dream Plan 2030designed by JICA and NEDA. This Plan (which was already approved by the past administration) if implemented, would create a sustainable Mega

Manila which will be extended to the North (Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija) and to the South (Rizal, Cavite, Laguna and Batangas).

“A Modern and Strategic Seaport”

NEDA defines Dream Plan 2030 in terms of five components involving the completion of a number of major on-grade road projects, expressways, railroads, modernization of buses and jeepneys including the rationalization of the routes, and the improvement of traffic management.

Some particulars include a better north-south connectivity, completion of more skyways, new and extended light rail transit systems, port decongestion of both air and sea channels, new housing relocation sites, improved bus and jeepney terminals, and smarter traffic management.

The fallout of all the new infrastructure and improvements would be a balancing in the development of agriculture, manufacturing and services for improved food security, decongestion of hazard risk areas, more affordable housing for low income groups, and promotion of regional growth centres.

In terms of costs, it will not come cheap – at P2.61 trillion until 2030. But the expected returns are worth it, starting with a reduction in transport expenses for every Filipino commuter from an average of P42 per day to P24, and a reduction in travel time from an average of 80 minutes per person to just 31 minutes.

For the country’s economy, the savings could start at P1.2 trillion a year and perhaps more if you toss in the health cost savings from lower pollution emissions of particulates and other harmful gases.

2. Regional Business Centres: One major reason why Metro Manila is heavily congested is because of continuous urban migration. People from the provinces converge in Metro Manila because major industries and job opportunities are here. To address this, the government should bring the manufacturing industries to the provinces. This is by way of creating regional business centres that will generate jobs for the local citizens. Better, if we could replicate what they have done in Taiwan, wherein they have implemented the One Town, One Product Production Scheme. Every town has its own product which gives distinction to the kind of business each town has. If the government will be able to do this, people from the provinces will no longer need to go to Metro Manila to seek for a job, and consequently, this would solve the problem on urban migration. Additionally, those who are already here may be enticed to go back to their own provinces.

Furthermore, the creation of regional business centres will certainly increase material production. One factor for this aside from the availability of local manpower is the use of local raw materials which will consequently reduce production cost.

“A glimpse of a future Regional Business Centre”

3. “No Filipino Left Behind” Project: This is the ultimate dream this author has for the Filipinos – to have a simple but comfortable life for every family. By having a continuous flow of wealth, the government could now provide the following: decent housing for the homeless Filipino family, free education for the youth, from basic to tertiary, free hospitalization, free access to the Internet, and other basic services. It will be so nice to see in the near future that there will be no more street dwellers, no more squatters living along esteros and river banks nor under bridges because every family has their own place to be called home.

Also, it will be a great privilege for our youth if they would be provided for free education in the near future and every single Filipino have free access to health services. The following is a graphic information of how a simple and comfortable life is envisioned:

This is based on a study conducted the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)

4. Intelligent Infrastructure and Smart Transport System: In the New Mega Manila, the traffic problem will become a thing of the past. The interconnectivity of roads will be so efficient and smooth. There will be additional skyways, subways, railroads, bypass roads and additional bridges. The Pasig River will be developed into a major Waterway Transport System. We will be having Smart Transport System which includes bullet trains, double-decker buses, smart jeepneys and there will be no more tricycles, trisikads and habal-habal. Instead, we will be having solar-powered and electric mini-jeeps. As a result, travel time and expenses will dramatically be reduced and a by-product of which would be increased productivity of our workers.

Also, we will be having an integrated smart card that can be used in paying our fare for any public transport. Additionally, there will be new breeds of cars, buses and trucks fuelled with hydrogen. Power plants will be using deuterium making power generation so efficient and safe. In total, having an intelligent infrastructure and transport system will certainly propel a continuous economic growth for this country.

“An image of an Intelligent Infrastructure”

5. Jobs and Livelihood Programs for the Rebel Returnees: In the near future there will be no more NPA’s and Muslim rebels. Because of the economic prosperity the country is enjoying, all of them will be enticed to come back to the fold which is the mainstream society. They will be part of the No Filipino Left Behind Project wherein the government will provide jobs and livelihood opportunities for them. They will be treated as mainstream citizens enjoying all the rights and privileges the government will provide. We must bear in mind that poverty is the greatest destroyer of human rights, and at the same time the root cause why some are enticed to join the armed groups. Once poverty is wiped out and inclusive economic growth is felt down to the grassroots, communist ideology and extremism will naturally die out.

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6. Sustainable Agriculture: In the near future, there will be no more food shortage in this country and food importation will become a thing of the past. We will be using all the idle lands in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for an intensive but sustainable agricultural production. Fish industry will also be intensified but in a sustainable and regulated manner. The government will give its full technological and financial support to our farmers. There will be new generation of farmers equipped with knowledge and skills on SMART Agriculture. This is to ensure that there will be enough food producers that would meet present and future demands of consumers.

“A depiction of a bountiful rice harvest”

To augment food production, urban farming will become a common family activity in the Metropolis. Each Barangay will be having its own Square Foot Gardens or Receptacle Farms. Condominiums and Subdivisions will also be required to have their own pocket gardens or vertical gardens. Even schools have their well-maintained Eco-Gardens teaching their students basic urban farming. By way of intensified local vegetable production in urban areas, dependence on products coming from the provinces will significantly be reduced. Consequently, prices of vegetable products will automatically be regulated making it very affordable.

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“An example of an urban vegetable garden”

7. Comprehensive Environmental Rehabilitation: To revert from the damages done against the environment, there will be national programs of activities to be undertaken and every single Filipino will be taking part. Canals and sewerage systems will be properly dredged and rehabilitated. Coastlines will be cleaned and natural easements will be maintained. Zero Waste Policy in every Barangay will be strictly implemented. National Projects such as the “Bring Back the Forests Project”, “Seed for Life Project” and the “One Tree One Child Policy” will be institutionalized. Mining industries will be seriously regulated and they will be required to reforest areas where they have operated as part of their corporate social responsibility.

“This is how a Green City is envisioned.”

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For the construction industry, Green Engineering and Architecture will be the norm of building residential and commercial establishments. Part of the urban planning will be planting trees on road sides and parking areas especially in the metropolis. Major parks like the Luneta and Quezon Memorial Circle will be reforested including plazas of every major city because they are serving as “lungs” of these cities. Major cities, especially in the New Mega Manila will all be converted into Green Cities like Clark in Mabalacat, Pampanga.

8. Modern Military Infrastructures: The Military facilities will be totally rehabilitated and improved. Our military camps and bases will be refurbished and modernized and conform to international standards. The current military force will be augmented with additional well-trained personnel. We will be having our own elite forces in the navy, army and air force. The government will be purchasing new and advanced military weapons, including military vehicles, war planes, war ships, submarines and other defence facilities. To guard our long coastlines, our Coastguard will be provided with advanced Patrol Navy ships mounted with sophisticated and high-powered weapons. Additionally, having the vast deposit of Deuterium, the government can opt to design our own nuclear weapons. All these will be undertaken in order to strengthen the defence capability of our military being an institution mandated by law to defend the constitution and sovereignty of this nation.

“An image of a strategic and modern Naval Base”

9. Renewable Energy Supply: Being the largest supplier of Deuterium, the whole country will no longer depend on fossil fuel. In power generation, the Nuclear Power Plant in Bataan will be rehabilitated and reactivated but this time it will be powered by Ultra Dense Deuterium – a very powerful renewable

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energy. Additional Power Plants will also be installed in the Visayas and Mindanao to have enough supply of power for the whole country. Manufacturing industries will also be using Deuterium for their power plants instead of coal. The country will also be having new breed of motor vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel, making fossil fuel a thing of the past. And since there will be zero CO2 emission from motor vehicles and power plants, just imagine how clean our air would be. This will be the Philippines’ greatest contribution to the worldwide initiative on curtailing Carbon emission.

10. SMART Housing Design: Considering the exposure and vulnerability of the Philippines to different natural disasters, in the near future we will be having a different housing design – a SMART Housing design adaptive to the effects of extreme weather conditions due to climate change. Our residential and commercial building establishments will be constructed in accordance with the concept of green engineering and architecture. This is to make our homes and buildings resistant to natural disasters like earthquakes, landslides and typhoons. Our cities will be branded as “Green Cities” because they are planned in accordance with environmental conformity.

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“An example of a typhoon-resilient housing design”

Conclusion

The above discussion is how I envision the Future Philippines. The attached images are sample prototypes of things I wished to be seen as part of the future developments in this country which will be renamed as “United Kingdom of Maharlika”. I know that those who will be able to read this book will prejudge me as a strange “Dreamer”, especially that I boldly mentioned about the coming “Golden Age” of this country. Be that as it may, no one can ever stop me from dreaming, because for me it is better to dream for a better Philippines than to dwell on our nightmarish condition forever and doing nothing. And I believe that this “dream”, in one way or another, will be sowing the seed of hope to the “Maharlikans” which will consequently give them some more viable reasons to live and continually struggle in spite of their present discomfort and miserable condition.

To serve as a fountain of inspiration, I would also like to point out that in the Preamble of our Constitution it is succinctly stated that “we are one Nation under God” which means that we are all subjects of God and must be ruled by Him. We are not pagans, nor atheists, who are non-believers of a Creator God. We “Maharlikans”, even before the dawn of history, are known for being so godly and spiritual in so many ways, though in diverse forms, and this is what actually makes us amazingly resilient in the midst of natural or man-made disasters.

I am fervently praying that this legendary resilience will transform into an eternal flame that would rekindle the “Maharlikan” spirit and drive his soul to take part in the great work of regaining this nation’s lost glory and identity. By this collective effort of the “Maharlikans” and unconditional guidance of the Supreme Almighty, the “Golden Wedge of Ophir” can possibly be regained.

“WELCOME TO THE NEW UNITED KINGDOM OF MAHARLIKA”

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