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HELPLESS WITH THE VICTIMS: DON'T LOOK THE OTHER WAY

I can turn off the news, I can block out the views, I can alter my reality,  but is that my answer to their calamity? Help me hear what my soul says Strength to love, strength to pray, help me amass Help me not look the other way And remind me as often that...                 this too shall pass. You  look at the scale of devastation made by typhoon Haiyan (local: Yolanda) in the Philippines and you get lost for words.  Your head struggles to absorb the reality, seems like just in a movie.  For a moment, you space out.  Then you start admitting to yourself it is real.  You are on one end --- the observer.  At the other end is this tons of people, tons of your countrymen in agony.  It makes you feel so helpless for a second that you just wanna look the other away. Each and every time you see the news about the suffering of victims of Yolanda typhoon, you feel a punch on your stomach and you feel nauseous.

Inappropriate Festivities for the Christians

This Halloween, the Church became vocal against the promotion of evil characters being worn in costumes. They say it should be the time to promote the heavenly characters like the saints and angels instead of promoting evil characters which could attract negative vibes in the air. Agree.  There are just some practices that don't fit the Filipinos.  Practices that are like 'trying hard to be foreign'??? Just like the Mardi Gras that was celebrated somewhere in  Central Luzon where I was at last October.  It was the highlight of their October festivities.   Its a three-day celebration, streets flooded with young people at night, like ants crowding the main street, where a needle cannot find a place to fall into. But what does Mardi Gras mean?  The difference between October fest and Mardi Gras is:  October fest  was created for simply drinking spree whereas with Mardi Gras, in its history, is like a mockery to the followers of Jesus who are about t

Is It Possible To Glorify God When In Trial?

Never easy when you are under trial. Nope, hell not. Not when you feel you've been in close contact with the Big Man Upstairs all the time. But then, if you are indeed in close contact with Him, then for sure, you will be given the courage to stand up for what He stands for and sooner than you expect, you've moved on and have learned from your trials. For the past weeks, calamities have struck us here and there, compounded by man-made 'calamities' in our government, here and there.  One could wonder, 'Is this a punishment? What have I done wrong to get punished like this?" But our God is A GOD OF LOVE.  He might be stern from time to time but HE IS A GOD OF LOVE. A JUST GOD as well. There are things we can't fathom.  Things that is way beyond our understanding. Lord Jesus said, 'What you don't know is not for you to know."  This is where faith comes in.  Instead of questioning endlessly that fill us with doubt, w

PHILIPPINE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT --- Amended

 

The Inconvenience of Saying 'No'

It's good to be full of love. Yes.  But sometimes,  I wished I was taught early also of how it is to hurt others.  To say 'NO' when somebody means to do you wrong; 'NO' to even something that will seemingly benefit you but in the end will just corrupt your spirituality.  Also, like, SAYING 'NO' TO AN EXTORTIONIST? Yesterday, I went to NBI provincial branch to renew/apply again for my clearance. ( I was happy to see that an ID was asked from the applicants before issuing an application form.  Just an ID though, not two, in contrast to what's on the internet if you search it.  But THAT WAS OK.  At least, they seem to follow now the protocol.  NOT LIKE THE LAST TIME I WAS WITH A FRIEND who just paid without even being asked for an ID where my friend in his dirty mind started toying with the idea of faking an identity.  Just to trip.) The procedure went smooth until I was given the receipt with the accompanying words of the window man: '

What To Do With Sudden Happiness

Have you ever felt a moment when you suddenly weirdly feel overly happy or maybe even crazily joyfully ecstatic that you just don't seem to know what to do with that kind of emotion at the moment? Or maybe simply plain happy and you feel limited to expressing it by a little smile on your face? Do you know what to do? Well you should know! Because that sudden happiness is like a plastic bag overloaded with goods ready to burst for others to enjoy! Its just waiting for you to let it!  Okay.  Fine.  Things are running into your head now on what to do with sudden happiness. The answer is so simple, thinking head. WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE SUDDEN HAPPINESS FOR ANY REASON, IT IS THE BEST TIME TO REMEMBER WHAT THE BIG MAN UPSTAIRS SAID:                  " LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU . " and since  MAKING SOMEONE HAPPY IS A CONCRETE FORM OF LOVE, here's the answer to the question! Share that happiness not by telling

Revise Labor Code for Job Applicants Protection

Every working day, hundreds of Filipinos look for jobs locally.  Most of them, with calculated budget and time for each prospective employer . Unfortunately, some companies are so mindless about the very people who could be working for them.  Maybe they are wonderful in taking care of their people once officially employed with them but what about those who are still in the application process?  This aspect is not even included in the Labor Code.  And so, many applicants get taken advantage of, their resources eaten, courtesy of those companies who don't have a system  geared towards taking care of their applicants.         To be specific, take for example some call centers' recruitment practices:  Tony. Nowadays, their ads are not as true as to what they actually mean.  (Some, not all call centers though.  ) One add would say '19k' monthly but once you are face-to-face with the personnel, they'd say 'that's after 6 months'.  And so, Tony

Friendliness: A Pure Filipino Trademark

"I should be back home before the sun comes down," I said to myself. A bus dispatcher on the terminal approached me, "Where are you heading,mam?" "Baguio," I politely replied. "Where are the buses?" "Oh, you better take the van, ma'm.  Buses will be arriving soon but you will have to wait 3 more hours before it takes off." Okay, fine.  I motioned toward the open van, entered carefully upon seeing two passengers already sitting on the mid-part.  I was thinking that sitting at the back will give me quiet time maybe. It was barely a second after I sat, vendors start knocking on my window. P-e-r-s-i-s-t-e-n-t-l-y. These vendors are never gonna leave me unless I buy.  Gotta show them I bought already.  Okay, fine.  Buy and goodbye. One by one, passengers start coming in.  Thirty minutes after, we're hitting the road. Finally. Time for me to sleep.  In two hours, I should be where I wanna be. 

PROVINCIAL WAGE RATE: An Accepted Form of Discrimination

Pedro and Juan are classmates in a private college in the city.  One permanently resides in Manila while the other boards and go to his province every weekend. They pay the same tuition fee, read the same books, and pass the same tests each semester.  They walk on the same stage to get their diplomas. As they apply for work for the same type of job at the same type of industry, one applies in the same city while the other comes back to his own province.  The one in the city gets an offer of P18,000 pesos starting pay while the one in the province gets an offer of P12,000 pesos. They are given the same type of exams, same type of trainings. Everything the same. EXCEPT FOR THE PAY.  Thanks to 'PROVINCIAL RATE' policy being enforced nationwide since time forgotten. It's like saying 'employees in the provinces are all inferior to those from the national capital region'. A form of discrimination that our society has already embraced, a discrimination that c

How About a "Blank" Prayer?

(What an ecstatic feeling to have your prayers answered sooooo quickly! Just few hours after this article has been posted, we woke up to the news about the Boston Marathon Bomber we've prayed for is captured already!!! THANK YOU LORD!!! THANK YOU MAMA MARY! YOU ROCK!) My little buddies and I usually say the rosary on Sundays only and on the 13th of each month, being careful to do it with free will instead of feeling obliged.  But today, Friday, we had 'emergency' prayer to intercede for two things: for  the Boston peeps on a lock down in search of that Boston Marathon suspect who can hurt just anybody anytime now, and for an immediate family member's safe, hassle-free, and peaceful return to our country. As we reached the fifth mystery, I kinda paused.  I realized that its a different feeling when there's a very specific intention you have in mind when saying the rosary. Even with my little buddies, them knowing what specifically we're asking the Lord fo

How to Present the Work of the Church

“The Church does not respond to an earthly logic and can be difficult to communicate effectively because  the nature of the Church is spiritual, not political. This is the only perspective in which the work of the Church can be presented."  --- Pope Francis Meeting w/ the Journalists 3/16/2013.                

Mourning and Missing You, Dixie

Dear Dixie, I miss you already. Just hours ago you were just hanging around in my room and I was just working on the computer as usual.  I wanted you to stay inside the house today  for as long as you wanted but I thought you might become bored since I was all busy here and the kids were out playing so I thought you might wanna play outside too.  I didn't know it was gonna be your last visit in my room, Dixie.  I learned my lessons well from Trixie.  Just one bark from you  I come running. You know how to bark well when you needed my attention.  You know I can distinguish it from your 'happy bark' to 'just intimidating other dogs' bark" and your "hey am hungry already" bark.  And you know you always get me when you wish it.  Because that's what I learned from Trixie.  'Come running when I bark'. I thought that was all I needed to learn to ensure your safety. Now, you taught me another lesson. I could go on cursing the s

Christianity 101: St. Francis' Prayer

==============================  Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen. ==============================  Pope Francis before:  Kissing the feet of an AIDS' child victim.   Lead us back to the basi cs, Pope Francis!!!

HOUSE RESOLUTION FILED: Elevation of Sabah Claim to International Court of Justice

Republic of the Philippines HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Quezon  City FIFTEENTH CONGRESS Third Regular Session HOUSE RESOLUTION No. 3043 Introduced by Reps.  TEDDY  A. CASIÑO and NERI JAVIER COLMENARES RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE SENSE  OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES URGING PRESIDENT BENIGNO AQUINO III TO IMMEDIATELY ELEVATE THE PHILIPPINES’ CLAIM ON THE ISLAND OF SABAH TO THE INTERNATIONAL COURT  OF JUSTICE WHEREAS, the eruption of armed conflict in Sabah between Filipinos led by the Sultanate of Sulu and the Malaysian government have brought to the fore the decades­long neglect if not abandonment of the Philippine government on the legitimate claim of the Sultanate and the Philippines over the island; WHEREAS,  the Philippines has solid historical, political and legal grounds to revive its claim and reassert its sovereignty over Sabah which was illegally annexed by Malaysia in 1963; WHEREAS, since pre­colonial times, the Sulu sultanate had ruled and owned Sabah

An Important Reference: "Does Sabah Really Belong to the Philippines?"

(Taken from Inquirer.net, posted March 4th,2013: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/66689/does-sabah-really-belong-to-the-philippines) I am posting this for my own history reference, now that there is so much tension going on with the awakened Sabah claim.  This is very long but very very substantial. On March 25, 1963, Senator Lorenzo Sumulong delivered a privileged speech berating the Philippines claim to North Borneo (Sabah), which had been filed by President Diosdado Macapagal on June 22, 1962. Five days later, Senator Jovito R. Salonga delivered a point-by-point rebuttal to Sumulong’s speech. Below are the full text of Sumulong’s speech and Salonga’s reply. We leave it to our readers to judge the merits of the case as presented by the senators 50 years ago. Excerpts from the speech of Salonga are also reprinted in the Philippine Daily Inquirer in its March 5, 2013 issue in a bid to shed light on the Sabah conflict. Here is the full text of Senator Salonga’s rebutta