If you are a Filipino and in the Philippines, do go out and vote on Monday, May 9, 2022. You have one ballot and one chance to vote, so help our country and make your vote count!

As early as today, check where your precinct is using the voter verfier which matches the data you provided when you registered in your barangay. You can also check who the candidates are in your area and already select who you want to vote for. You can generate a sample ballot using kodigo.me. Print your selection and take it with you when you vote – no cellphones will be allowed while voting.

The polls will open at 6 am and close at 7 pm.

Why go Pink

A friend of mine, Gai, who has been doing house-to-house to campaign, is fed up with skeptics and non-supporters who were brainwashed by fake news and survey results. She wrote this on her wall:

I really don’t know how anyone with any ounce of intellect can be for any other candidate. Because you can intellectualize this all you want – or dumb it down – but this election is no ordinary election. It is a fight between good and evil. If your ego is too big for you to see that, then you really are part of the problem…. If you have any understanding of our history at all, you will know the crimes perpetrated by the Marcos family against the Filipino people, and to negate that means that you are either not well informed (please stop getting your news from TikTok) or you have a skewed perspective of what happened, colored either by blind regionalism and the cult of personality, or, let’s face it, your family benefited (and will continue to benefit) from having a Marcos in power…. Quite frankly, it shows a lack of empathy for what we went through as a nation, the twisting of facts to satisfy one’s own narrative. It’s traitorous and a betrayal of everything that is decent in this world…

Another friend, Viktoria, created a song called Laban to remind people of what transpired during Martial Law. Her lyrics go, Panahon na, magsama sama tayo, ibuhos ang natitirang lakas sa mga araw na nalalabi, ituloy ang Laban! Para sa Bayan! (Translation: It’s time, let’s get together, pour the remaining energy into the remaining days, continue the Battle! For the People!)

As tensions rise with the elections drawing near, here’s a meditation to help cool you down

It’s called Sitali pranayma. when you feel stressed, upset, or hot-headed. The breath work will cool you and slow down your heart rate, your mind and brings you into a calm state.

Sit in a comfortable position with the spine straight. Eyes closed. Open your mouth and form an “O” shape with the lips. Extend the tip of your tongue slightly past the lips, and curl the tongue lengthwise into a U-shape. Inhale slowly and deeply through the rolled tongue, filling the lungs completely. Exhale slowly and fully through the nostrils. If you can’t role your tongue, just rest it on the lower lip and close the lips so the breath is inhaled through the small opening and you can feel it cooly moving over the tongue. 2 to 3 minutes.

The breath work can help reduce fever, aids in digestion as well as cleans the spleen and liver.

And of course, let’s pray and meditate for a peaceful election, counting of votes, proclamation of winner and inauguration on June 30. May the next letter be one of love and hope for real change. Vote on Monday, and stay safe.

In loving service,
Rosan