Posted on August 29, 2026by creeper with No comments
Being a woman in a world where conformity is rewarded and standing by your beliefs is frowned upon requires a quiet courage—because choosing to stay true to yourself isn't just about being different; it is an intentional act of taking up space on your own terms.
In these trying times, I've seen women who carry the torch to make the world a better, more just place for everyone.
Risa Hontiveros comes to mind. She was elected to the Senate in 2016, at a time when the presidency reeked of misogyny and political opposition was constantly under fire. She fought her adversaries not with noise, but with undeniable facts, moral clarity, and sheer persistence. Despite being in the minority for so long, she still passed landmark laws focused heavily on public health, women's rights, social protection, human rights, and good governance. A quick Google search will show her major legislative victories, including the Philippine Mental Health Act (RA 11036), the 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law (RA 11210), and the Safe Spaces Act or "Bastos Law" (RA 11313). Her pending legislative measures include the Anti-Dynasty Bill and reforms to the Party-List System Act.
Roo Powell is the founder of SOSA (Safe from Online Sex Abuse), a nonprofit organization that works to combat online child sexual exploitation in collaboration with law enforcement. I first noticed her when I was watching Undercover Underage. She is a prime example of a woman who stands out by stepping into the shadows. Instead of turning away from an agonizing reality, she confronts it head-on, proving that true strength often means absorbing the world's ugliness so that the most vulnerable don't have to. Learning that she is Filipino made me even prouder, and I truly hope to see a counterpart to her work established here in the Philippines.
What makes women like Risa Hontiveros and Roo Powell stand out isn't just their extraordinary bravery; it is the path they clear for everyone coming after them. They show us that standing by your principles—even when it is frowned upon, even when it is dangerous—is the only way progress actually happens. They carry the torch so that the rest of us don't have to walk in the dark
Posted on August 29, 2026by creeper with No comments
What???? I've been MIA for 4 years, and now that I’m back, I just realized it's been 20 years since I started writing here. Sure, I post a lot of nonsense, but looking back, this might be the longest-running platform I've ever used.
I started as a college student ranting about my college life, music, politics, and other musings—a naive girl who didn't know what the future held for her.
But fast-forward 20 years, and I am still that naive girl—well, maybe a lady—who is still exploring her world. So many things have changed, yet so much has remained the same.
I still get kilig when hearing good music and lyrics, still attend live gigs even in my late 30s, and still get irritated by our politics.
In these 20 years, I've seen the bands I was just listening to when I started this in 2006 live.I never thought I would be able to see the Eraserheads not once, but twice.I never thought they’d reunite because of politics. Also, if you had told me another Marcos would become president, I’d probably have packed my bags and migrated to another country.
If you had told me back then that I would see The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys in the same year, I would have told you that you were insane.
We've faced a pandemic—another occurrence that we never expected. And then came the 2022 election. Right after the pandemic, we started going out to make sure we could fight for a brighter future—hoping that the liwanag sa dilim would guide us through the darkness. But we lost, we failed, and we're still facing adversities.
If you had told me 20 years ago that we’d have AI to check my grammar, I would have laughed in your face and told you I wished it had come sooner so hindi naman ka-hiya-hiya itong blog na 'to, haha.
Now, I look forward to another 20 years. I will be 50++ haha! Sana naman our world is a better place by then, though I am not so optimistic. I hope in 20 years I am still me—just with a newfound peace with what I do and happy in my own way.
And here is a song from outerhope maybe also written 20 years ago.
Posted on August 28, 2026by creeper with No comments
So much has happened since my last post back in 2022. Where do I even begin?
The UniTeam won, and today, our divided country is watching an impeachment trial unfold for the Vice President. Sara Duterte, who is currently facing these charges, could still end up as our next president if she survives this.Meanwhile, almost all of Luzon is submerged in floods—and to think it’s just the habagat, not even a typhoon. Add to that the ongoing outrage over flood control corruption and reports of active shootings in schools.
Posted on March 31, 2022by creeper with No comments
When one speaks out against the one you love, I am sure that minutes after clicking the post button, many will share their own sentiments good or bad.
We all know how social media works. How toxic the discussions are, insults throwing around and of course too many fake news.
That is why I wouldn’t be surprised why famous artist and celebrities can’t take a stand. Now with the current election happening in May... whew! Grabe ang toxic talaga... That’s also why I respect how brave some personalities in voicing out against Duterte and Marcos. Lalo na musicians because as all you may know, the common comment of trolls when they speak up is, “Mag banda ka na lang” or “tumugtog ka na lang”. Which of course makes no sense since they are still Filipinos who pay taxes and have the right to voice out opinions.
I just saw this video. Biro mo Ely Buendia made it to the trolling world of bloggers hahaha. Proud of you man! Anyway, if you will watch this video, this is actually sums up how the trolls react when a musician speaks up. Of course, makanti mo lang ang Poon nilang si Digs, they will post video right away dissing them.
The song in question is “Metro”, a song that serves to educate the voters and telling to vote wisely. Of course, the DDS world will not keep quiet about this. They are triggered with this excellent line “Pangulo ba o Pang gulo”
Bulag sila sa mga pahirap Na iyong nararanasan Di nila naiintindihan At may mga nagbibingi-bingihan Sa mga kasinungalingan Di kaya sila ay bayaran?
Kamatayan at sakit Kalayaan ay nagigipit Lupa at dagat natin ay pinagsasanla
Kapatid di pa ba nagsasawa? Tumatakbo ang metro Wag ka ngang muling magpapalinlang Sa pangakong pinako
Mga abuso sa kapangyarihan At maling pamamalakad Ang sagabal sa kaunlaran Walang pinuno ang hindi marunong Lutasin ang mga problema Ito'y panata nila sa bayan
Simulant ang pagbabago Sa isang pinuno Na may pagmamalasakit At paninindigan
Panahon na upang imulat Ang mata sa katotohanan Pandemya at kawalan ng kabuhayan Asan na ang nawawalang lupa't pera Bagsak ang ekonomiya Di ka ba nagtataka? Pinunong may talino, puso at tapang Ito ang kailangan ng ating bayan
Kapatid di pa ba nagsasawa? Tumatakbo ang metro Isa lang ang iyong pagpipilian Pangulo ba o pang gulo? Pangulo ba o pang gulo?
Pangulo ba o pang gulo? Pangulo ba o pang gulo? Pangulo ba o pang gulo? Pangulo ba o pang gulo?
So to answer you Mr. DDS/ now Yorme enabler, the answer to our problem is removing your tatay and replace him with a Pangulo and not a Pang gulo.
Anyway here is the updated version of “Metro” for VP Leni and Sen. Kiko.
As of this writing, Ely is now making news again because of his tweet:
Note the haha react
And trolls are so alive, they are like hounds searching for someone to attack:
Try harder blengblong supporters
To the trolls, Ely Buendia is a legend and been through so much hate lalo na when the band disbanded so you “Laos ka na” or “high lang yan” comments won’t give anything to him. Try harder please.
To Ely, thank God you are using your influence and platform to ask questions that will tickle one's mind. He can just sit there comfortably from his ivory tower, but no, he went down and join the people. To others this may not be much but for now, we need little things to make big difference.
Edited: Just in, may bagong tweet si Ely, sobrang fiery at higit sa lahat Tagalog haha. Sabi nga nila bardahan na ito. pero ito talaga din kailangan natin, harsh words para magising kahit papaano ang mga nagtutulog tulugan pa rin.
When a political rally turns into a big pink concert, OPM bands are a staple so people can be entertained while fighting for their beliefs at the same time.
When Vice President Leni Robredo started her campaign, Rivermaya was the first band to step up and help out for free. They always sang "Liwanag sa Dilim," which aptly encapsulated VP Leni's role in the upcoming elections.
I've seen Rivermaya's current lineup perform. Nathan Azarcon, Mark Escueta, and Mike Elgar took turns singing their anthems. They may not have the strong vocal prowess of their previous lead vocalists, but they give a livelier energy to the songs. So when they played "Liwanag sa Dilim" right after VP Leni finished her speech in Naga, I can say it still gave me goosebumps.
After a couple of sorties, Ely Buendia joined VP's rally. I'd say he and Rivermaya paved the way for artists to make a bold stand for their political beliefs. Of course, Ely is still at the top of the list when you ask who the idol of today's OPM bands is. He is still incredibly influential. After he performed at the Iloilo sortie—which was one for the books, I must say—so many other bands followed in his footsteps.
Mayonnaise, Moonstar88, Gracenote, Ebe Dancel, Itchyworms, Ben&Ben, and Chicosci, just to name a few, followed suit.
Which brings me to Chicosci.
I am a casual listener of the band. I'm not their biggest fan, though checking my previous posts here, I did like Mong Alcaraz. Yeah, my 16-year-old self liked the chinito guitarist. Seeing Miggy's emo demeanor back then didn't really appeal to me as much—I was more of a Yael Yuzon stan, preferring that clean, Atenista look.
But my god, I am 32 now, and the resurgence of me liking these vocalists came back thanks to VP Leni's sorties, haha.
I also realized what makes me like Miggy now is his political stance. I only followed him on Twitter this year because of his tweet about the dictator's son. Chicosci's first gig after two years went viral. Down to their last song, he took time to give a short speech about the upcoming election. He said we should really think about our choices and not just believe everything we see on TikTok. He didn't explicitly name his candidate at first, saying they weren't that kind of band. But midway through their song "Diamond Shotgun," he sang, "Lock and load, Leni, let's go!" He only said it once, and I don't think the audience heard it clearly at the moment, but what was clear was him flashing the "L" sign. The clip went viral, confirming he actually sang "Leni, let's go" instead of "baby, let's go".
And I must say, buti na lang he didn’t stick to his emo sound and look. Also I never thought that he is that vocal about his political stand. I just think he is that cono elitist who is so out of touch. Sorry Miggy! You have that look eh haha same like you can judge if a person is a dds or bbm.
Their Camanava performance was awesome. Miggy hyped the almost gen z crowd. I mean, i am sure majority is not a chicosci fan or doesn’t know their song but he was able to make them jump, shout and sing. Grabe yung energy from both sides. What I love the most is he was able to deliver a powerful message. That we should fight for the country and leader that we deserve.
There’s so much to say about our upcoming election and the rallies that turned into concerts. Having supported and loved OPM rock bands since my high school years, the resurgence of the live music scene gives me hope in this crazy world. I also love that these bands use their platform in the best way they know how: to make people happy and take a stand for their choices. At the end of the day, the music of these OPM bands will stay with us no matter what the outcome will be this coming May.
More than that, we now know the bands who share our political stance: that Marcos is no hero, Marcos Jr. is a joke, and Leni Robredo is our hope.
Posted on November 21, 2021by Fran with No comments
How do you feel when a famous person you look up to suddenly speaks about a controversial topic in our nation? If you share the same thoughts, you’ll be ecstatic. If you have a different view, you’ll be disappointed. Buti na lang it’s the former instead of the latter.
When Ely Buendia was asked about the reunion, he said this:
When I read this, I was a little confused and didn’t know if I should believe he actually tweeted it. I’ve been a fan since God knows when—you can search for Ely here in my blog, and it will bring up hundreds of posts about him. I mean, it’s quite out of character for him to tweet something like this.
Ely is not known to promote a candidate, especially a candidate for President. He is vocal with his ideologies on Twitter, but to be this straightforward and open about his choice for the presidency is unusual,
I know when he tweeted this, the reunion was just a joke—that even if Leni runs, a reunion is quite impossible for now. But I am so happy he said this. It gives me a lot of hope.
And when he actually visited Leni to give her the limited edition Eraserheads vinyl, I was over the moon. It shows that he is really serious about supporting her.
When a person like him speaks up about what’s happening in our country, you know something is seriously wrong and we need to act. He’s incredibly successful—with millions in the bank, he could easily stay quiet and retreat to his ivory tower. But he chose not to. He isn't just singing songs anymore; he's making his voice heard and taking a stand for what he believes is right.
Posted on November 21, 2021by Fran with No comments
Why do we have to complicate things? Even kindergarten students know the basic concept of what is good and what is wrong. When facts are laid right in front of your eyes, do you still look around and have second thoughts?
Okay, you might. You might want to double-check or triple-check. But where do you validate? Do you check reliable sources—such as books and credible news outlets—or ordinary people without references, like TikTok or YouTube videos that can be easily manipulated?
Why do we still choose a person with a tainted character when there is an option to choose a respected one? Why do we need to overthink this? Why do we need to fight each other when there is clearly an obvious answer?
I am not saying all problems will be solved once we choose the right person, but this is the first step toward achieving our goals.
HOPE. If there’s a word I will be using more in the coming months, that’s the word.
Posted on November 20, 2021by Fran with No comments
Oh, it’s been a while…
What’s happening? A lot, apparently.
We’re still in a pandemic. Still working from home for almost 2 years now. I don’t even know how to wear pants anymore.
As a nation, we are still struggling. From making Dalgona coffee in the early days of lockdown, to becoming plantitos and plantitas, to Duterte saying a presidential candidate is a cocaine addict.
Whoa. That’s a lot to ponder.
Well, for now, I am just going to say that the future is a bit blurry. The result of the upcoming elections will lead to very different decisions for my future.
Why? Because everything is political—from the moment we wake up to the color of the clothes we wear.
Oooh, I have so many things to say. Been away for a very long time.
Where to start??
I’ll start with this: things might not end up the way we’d like them to be. The end might not be good. But hope is still there in the shadows.
Posted on March 29, 2019by creeper with No comments
When I feel like taking a day off from work, I visit the places I usually go to, but this time I sit, breathe in the fresh air, meditate, and take pictures in a way I don’t normally do when I’m with people.
When I’m alone, I can stay for hours staring at the carousel, manually adjusting my camera so I can get a good shot—not just pointing and shooting like I normally do.
I am an introvert who likes people-watching, so I go to coffee shops, amusement parks, and the Manila Bay area. I also found a spot in the Mall of Asia that is quiet and fresh, where you can just stare at the sky and let the wind blow through your hair.
So that’s what I normally do when I’m on leave: I just walk around, look around, and enjoy being alone.
I don’t usually go to the cinema. But when I do, it means I am really interested in the film I’m about to watch.
Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral is another film we can devour to feed our minds and quench our thirst for quality films.
After watching this film, you will see how flawed Gen. Goyo was—not something our Hekasi or History teachers taught us. We only grew up knowing that Goyo was the youngest general and that he was brave when he fought the Americans. But that’s it. I didn’t know he was Aguinaldo's favorite. He was a womanizer. He ordered the torture of the Bernal brothers (the security escorts of Gen. Luna), and he was immature. Even his bravery is called into question: did he die for the country, or just for one man?
However, the most outstanding and unforgettable scene has to be the one between Goyo and Manuel Bernal.
When Manuel told Goyo “Gagawin mo ba talaga ang lahat ng inutos ng pangulo? Hindi ka sundalo, isa kang aso. Tahol goyo Tahol!”
It felt so real and we can still use these lines until today.
A lot of people compare it to General Luna and say Goyo is not as good as the former. Maybe because General Luna has a shock value, cursing endlessly, and he was very hot headed, opinionated and intense character while Goyo was very soft spoken and quiet. But I beg to differ, Goyo is as good as general Luna. The shock value is still there not with curse words but with the lines the characters tell. We hear Apolinario Mabini’s words that we can ponder and analyze.
Posted on March 29, 2019by creeper with No comments
I’m reminiscing about the days when I set foot in Land Down Under. Living in the Philippines, everything seemed extraordinary to me while I was there. The cleanliness, the cool weather, the laid-back vibe, and the very friendly people—I can’t blame immigration or the visa officers for being strict when a girl from a third-world country decides to visit. You can’t help but ask yourself, "Do I really want to go back home?" The immediate answer is, “Hell no!” But you know, whatever my hangups with my country are, it’s still my country—a place I can call my own. Even though it sucks sometimes, it’s still a beautiful place, and I think I could never leave it permanently.
