Divina Mia!

The Holy Tomb is Empty

2010-04-04T05:10:00.000-07:00

The Holy Tomb is empty
Christ now lives in you!
Be the living vessel for the Risen Lord
And fill the world with Love so true.

Be the channel of Hope that Easter brings.
Be the Light in a world of darkness.
Let your Joy keep streaming
Into lives devoid of Him.

May you receive in abundance
The blessings of the Risen Christ!
Like the flowing Sea of Galilee
The more you share
The more Grace comes!

Wishing to be Rich yet Poor

2009-11-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

In our village Mass today Fr. Jose Arcilla, S.J. said, “The real poor people are those who have many things to share but can not give and the real rich are those who have nothing yet they can still offer something to share.” The poor/generous giver has the best to offer—an open and welcoming heart.

From my e-mail box: "This is the great truth that the bible teaches over and over. When we trust God who is nothing but giving, we can give and give but never run out.
But if we cling to poor substitutes for God (money, power, fame or pleasure), we can hoard and hoard but never have enough."

If only the materially rich are also rich in spirit and start giving and giving, cease hoarding and hoarding, no one will be wanting. It takes poverty of the heart and richness of the spirit to make everyone rich.

I Purchased Heaven & Felt like a Saint

2009-11-03T04:39:00.000-08:00

All Saints’ Day caught me with eloquent reminders that we are called to be holy and that we belong to the community of saints—that we are potential saints and born to be saints.

Although awed by this insinuation I was excited with the possibility and made some research on what a saint is, or how it is defined. According to one Claretian priest, a youngster gave this definition: “A saint is a person whom the light shines through,” thinking of the beautiful stained glass windows in the parish church.

The Claretian commentary thus gave the following explanation.

Quote:
The saints whose images are depicted in stained glass and on holy cards are famous for allowing God’s light to shine through their words and actions. The apostles, martyrs, doctors, virgins, religious and other holy men and women whose feasts are celebrated through the Church year offer examples to us of how to live so as to bring God’s light into a world that knows all too much darkness.

That definition pulsated in my head during the All Saint’s Day Mass. Finally during the moments of silence after communion and while praying for all the souls of the departed, a wistful thought flitted like a passionate desire—I wanted to feel exactly like a saint even for that moment.

Then it happened. I thought of all the souls still waiting for final redemption and entry into the full glory of heaven. For the liberation of these souls I offered the pains caused me by the betrayal of the people I love—forgave the latter and told the Lord: Let my offering of forgiveness purchase the souls in need of redemption.

I imagined souls finally liberated and entering the pearly gates. This made me feel jubilant and light. It was a saintly experience. My offering let God’s Light shone on the souls still in darkness.

Betrayal, My Shade of Crucifixion

2009-08-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

For long I have been going through battering by all the betrayals I have gone through and am still going through. And this is done to me by people I care— a child, siblings, family—those closest to me.

This kind of experience makes me feel closest to my God, my Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus went through the ultimate betrayal unto the cross by one of His disciples and abetted by Peter who denied Him three times. Through the Cross, I was redeemed.

Through my own slight shade of crucifixion, I can participate in God’s work of redemption. I can be saved, And I can offer it for the salvation of others; first, of those who I love and who have betrayed me, as well as the rest of my brothers and sisters in Christ and those others who need salvation.

As I prayed this morning, below was one sharing which came my way. Like a balm on my soul.

“God chose to reveal the fulfillment of His plans to the childlike because their ignorance made them see with eyes of faith. When you are losing faith because of the troubles that you face, notice the constant signs around you that tell you of God’s presence in your life.

Like little children, let us trust in our Father’s ways”. Nova Arias (Kerygma)

It is no longer “Lent”; God has been “Given.”

2009-04-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

And God will rise to live in us and among us!!

The “Lent” became a "GIFT"—a lasting gift of God’s presence in our humanity. The “GIFT” elevates us to the level of the GIVER—giving us the grace to see our Creator and Savior in everyone and in everything around us.

The challenge is how to allow God to be manifested through us and recognize God resurrected in our fellowmen and women.

Many times we do not recognize Him in our neighbor. Most of the times we refuse to see God in Creation. Almost always we deny God’s presence in our very own lives. And so we abuse the environment; we are indifferent to others; we throw away our dignity and squander our worth.

I hope to be a gift in return and give God a chance to be present in all.

Long Live the Risen Lord!

Some little Surprises in Search of the Lord

2009-04-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

“The Bread of Life has been broken. The Cup of Life has been poured. Let us partake of the Supper of the Lord.”

It was the most striking line I imbibed in the long celebration of the Holy Eucharist which my family attended at the Church of St. Therese of the Child Jesus at UP, Los Baños, yesterday, April 9, 2009.

The Mass was the culmination of a Visita Iglesia, our short pilgrimage for Holy Thursday. We passed by all the churches along the route and had visited exactly 7 churches as is the tradition among Catholics. These churches are: The Chair of St Peter Church at Balibago, Santa Rosa, the St. Francis of Assisi Church at Cabuyao, St. John the Baptist Church at Calamba, St. Agustin Church at Bae, St. Anthony de Padua Church in Los Baños and Immaculate Conception Church in Los Baños town proper.

The Church of St. Therese played a special role in the life and history of our family for it was there that Rudy and I had our wedding in honor of St. Therese. She has been a favourite saint for her lessons on sanctification through little acts of holiness—like smiling and being nice at everyone even to the unpleasant characters in your life and picking up scattered things and placing them at their proper places even when one is feeling too lazy/heavy for it.

I was pleasantly surprised when upon seeing the face of St. Therese in a banner, for the first time, my daughter acknowledged what I have been saying and which she seemed not to have minded at all.
My only daughter, Maria Theresa, with an aura in her face which I seldom glean said: "Mom, you named me after her!”

Many surprises can happen in a journey in search of the Lord. Such as this pragmatic suggestion for a penance at the end of my meditation: Buy someone a meal or something to drink.

I Wrote a Last Will During EDSA 1

2009-02-25T00:43:00.000-08:00

EDSA is the Philippines—survivor, resilient, loved by the Filipinos, etched in the living history of the world, alive in the memory of God.

When the Filipinos heard the voice of the late Cardinal Sin on the radio on February 23, 1986, asking the faithful to go to EDSA; I personally felt that God was drafting us to fight evil.

But it caused me a heart wrenching dilemma. It was not easy for me to bring all of my four children—with ages 5 to 11. EDSA could turn bloody.

And so my husband and I decided to bring with us our youngest child who we felt would be most vulnerable if left behind. The three other children, Joey, Val and Therese were left with their baby-sitter, Evelyn with instructions to always stay close to one another, pray the rosary and leave the radio on--all the time even while praying.

I wrote my last will and testament stating my wishes for my three older children in case my husband, I and Marlon perish in the battlefield of EDSA.

The moment of goodbye was for me a most scary and solemn one. I looked at my children intently to immortalize them in my heart. But when we arrived at EDSA—just about 3 km from our house—all my fears vanished.

There was a mood of celebration despite sporadic screams and panic sweeping through the crowd from time to time. The big throng of people were marching jubilantly from all directions.

Marlon wanted to climb a parked tank and his Dad placed him atop one. As I watched him grinning, I prayed, “Lord save our nation for our children.”

Despite interrmitent surges of fear, I felt safe and calm. I felt united and invulnerable with the multitudes who have responded to the call of God and country.

EDSA will live in perpetuity. Always pulsating with hope. So does our beloved country!

Valentine Love in a Flash

2009-02-14T07:36:00.000-08:00

Earlier at around 6:00 in the evening, I was dropping some lines for my third son, Val who is currently in Irving, Texas for his further career training.

I wanted to compose a special Valentine message for a son who was so far away I couldn’t hug him but at the same time was pressured by time to meet my 6: 30 P.M. date with my husband and only daughter, Therese.

Under time pressure, I opened my e-mail thus: “My dearest Valentine,” It just hit me that that could be the most compact and love-filled message I could send my son. All it needed was a hyphen and I reframed it as: “My dearest Val-entine.”

Swiftly and smoothly I was able to send my love to my son in a jiffy and still kept my dates with my daughter and husband on time.

May our jiffy messages on Valentine’s Day last a lifetime!

Callused Soles vs Calloused Hearts

2008-12-03T16:03:00.000-08:00

The emancipation of the tenants has been the battle cry of every Philippine administration and agrarian reform has been their centrepiece program.

Agrarian reform is meant to reduce inequalities as social justice demands. The intent of the Philippine Constitution and R.A. 6657 is crystal clear: the promotion of social justice through an equitable distribution of land by making it easier for the disadvantaged to be able to acquire land.

Why are the Filipino farmers marching all over the country for the right to own a piece of land? After losing at every stage of the battle against landowners, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) officials, the lower to the highest courts, they are now pounding every trail into the hot asphalt and concrete jungle of the seat of government—Malacañang—hoping that they can stumble upon a piece of a soft and caring heart.

In my morning prayers I touched the legs and feet of the farmers by massaging those of my husband that God may let them walk on soft soil with sturdy legs and strong soles. Then I laid my hand on my husband’s heart that the Lord of Compassion may soften our officials’ hardened souls.

It's God's Decision, not the Lightning's Call

2008-10-05T02:08:00.000-07:00

At about 12:30 this afternoon, a thunderous explosion engulfed our village and simultaneously shut off our electric supply. I heard splintering sound from our roof garden and dropping of some hard objects. Except for the falling debris, it sounded much the same as the past two occasions when on each instance a Meralco transformer in our subdivision was hit by lightning.

It turned out that, our house and only our house had the blackout. The lightning hit the tegula roof of our roof garden. Considering the exploding bomb-like sound, it was a wonder of wonder that only two tiles were blown off, splattered all over and leaving just enough gaping hole on our rooftop for us to see a small space of sky directly on top our head.

And the most divine wonder of it all was that the lightning strike failed to fry me while I was steaming fish in the kitchen and my daughter who was sleeping in her room on the second floor and closer to the blasted spot.

As I write this I still can’t fathom the enormity of the Protective Hand of God who shielded our house and us from the tons of electric volts which came very close to strike.

Praying w/ Val, My Third Child

2008-09-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

My third child, Val–he’s now a dashing man of 29– slept over. Before leaving early this morning, we prayed together thus:

“Dear Lord thank you for this rare chance of sleeping together with my son in this home where the children grew up. And thank you for helping us get up with our faculties intact, with us capable of continuing with our dreams, with the strength and resources to pursue them.”

Mom: “Continue to cover my son with your mantle of protection and hugs of love and affection that he may feel your presence wherever he goes, whatever he does and make him feel he is always loved. Touch him with your healing love, every part of his body, especially his eyes and pancreas...and his soul... and bless him with the power to do what is right for himself, for his associates, friends, loved ones and all others..”

Val: “Amen”

All I Have to say to my Lord

2008-09-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have been singing it all too often. Yet it was only in yesterday’s Holy Mass that I caught the full meaning of the following lines:

“All that I’ve been through, I offer them to you oh Lord
Make my life a worthy offering to you.”

And I realized, that is all I have been trying to tell my Creator in so many words and in so many ways–oftentimes, bumbling ways–sometimes right, sometimes not so; sometimes true, sometimes not a bit too; always human, but by God’s grace can be noble and divine.

Yesterday I had a date with the Lord in a very meaningful way. It doesn’t happen often.

How to Give Back

2008-09-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

To be able to love, it is necessary to have experienced love. The love we share is also the love we enjoy. To be able to love in a Christian manner–pure and selfless, self-sacrificing and Christl-like–presupposes an experience of God’s love. We can give only what we have.

I did experience God’s generosity. Now I can give away the same. Even my husband and children could not fully comprehend why I could be passionately lawyering for a client–even the most difficult and demanding character–who can’t pay and who I even treat with meals and free ride with allowances. That is an expression of the love of God which I have richly encountered in my life.

Date with the Lord

2008-09-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

Whenever the urge to pray beckons, listen and be still. That’s the Lord asking for a date.

You will then encounter a moment in time which is connected to an eternity.

The Combo is Playing

2008-08-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, August 22—a day after he spoke of the “Perfect Combo (see the earlier post)--at 04:47:32pm, I received a stunning SMS from my son, Joey. It says: “A truck nearly hit the car by 2 inches. Must be your prayers working to save me.”

For a few seconds I became too dumbfounded to reply. I hugged my son tight from a distance… then raised my voice to the Lord in thanksgiving.

I praised God for letting our combo play beautiful music!

Perfect Combo

2008-08-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

My eldest son Joey was rushing for an early, long-awaited interview in Makati so I prepared a quick, healthy breakfast--breakfast at home is always the heaviest—of baked fish, eggplant omelets & banana, which he gobbled fast and quick.

As I poised to pray over him--a usual send-off--he warned,”Make it quick. I am running late.”

And fast, I prayed: “Oh Lord hug my son and make him feel your presence as you bless him with love, protection and wisdom; and use him to make others experience the same blessings.”

A few seconds after driving out of the garage, Joey sent this SMS: Tenku, tenku… (Thank you, thank you). Breakfast & Prayers. Smooth and crisp. Perfect Combo.”

The Bigger the Better

2008-08-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

My husband has more than doubled in size during our marriage.
Lately, I have been telling him, “I love more of you but not too much, stop growing in size.

A few days ago, my son, Val, pleasantly jolted me with a very practical—even divine—use for my husband’s physical expansion.

Since Val is no longer living with us, I pray over his pancreas—which has stopped producing insulin—by laying my hands over my husband’s stomach and imagining that I am praying over my son’s. I am doing it for all other intentions and praying for healing. For instance, I ask the Lord for the healing of painful memories of another son or the wounded heart of a friend by touching that portion on my husband’s body.

Val remarked, “Wow, Dad can provide you all the space you need for all your prayers.”

Defining Your Reality...Creating Your Happiness

2008-08-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

“Life is what you make it” is more than an adage. For it is a fact that your destiny is what you make out of life. It lies largely in your hand. You can create you reality with the power of your mind. More so if your mind draws energy from the Power outside of it. That Power is always available; ready to be tapped, generously.

Dr. Fred Alan Wolf, a quantum physicist studied physics in relation to consciousness and said that our consciousness can determine our reality–emotional, physical, etc. Consciousness is the function of the mind. And mind is more than the brain. It is over and above, before and after, the brain. By using the full potentials of the human mind, you can choose to be happy; you can determine your own reality. You can change your life by changing your mind. Your consciousness can reign supreme.

After I was diagnosed with brain tumor (meningioma), I constantly imagine my mind working on my brain and healing it of the alien growth. And I do ask friends, relatives, priests and nuns to join me in doing so. We join our collective consciousness to the source--the All-Powerful Being--the Source of all powers in heaven and on earth to melt the meningioma which grows deep from my dura matter within the hemisphere of my brain. As I wrote earlier, my brain tumor has started shrinking as shown in the second diagnosis done 10 months later.

J. C. Knight, the founder of Ramtha School of Enlightenment–when interviewed by Larry King of CNN–categorically stated that the power of the mind can be harnessed to create your happiness. According to her, you can choose to be happy and remain happy should you choose to; you can be in control of your own emotion by your own consciousness. Fr. Momoy Borromeo, the healing priest who keeps laying his hand on my brain prefers to call it "tanscendence" of our emotion and not control.

Ms. Knight elaborates that the key is to know ourselves well, accept who we are and be happy with it; know our purpose and stick to it. Regardless of what takes place in our surroundings, no matter how difficult people around us turn out to be, nothing and no one can take away our happiness if it is grounded within our own consciousness. No one can cause us miseries, according to her because the outside world will become a reflection of our own state of mind.

Good health, happiness, well-being … are functions of the mind. As the episode in Larry King Live (CNN, 08/10/08) captioned: “Change Your Mind, Change Your Life.”

My Son said: "Jesus is Human too."

2008-08-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

In Mt 14:22-36, Jesus walks on the lake towards his disciples. The disciples are scared thinking they are seeing a ghost.

Jesus says,”Come.” Peter makes an attempt. As he steps into the water, he sinks. No matter how Jesus tries to encourage him, he can’t have the faith and the courage to try again.

On the breakfast table I asked my son, Joey what he learned from his Jesuit mentor about this narrative. His Theology teacher explained that there were many elevated portions of land in the lake which were covered by water only as high as half to a about a foot. Jesus had mastered the lake and knew where to step.

My son said: “Jesus can play tricks on his friends. That shows his humanity.”

My son just gave me one more reason to trust the Lord: God is one with me in my humanity.

A Son & A Daughter - A Moon & A Sun Apart

2008-07-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

My son and an only daughter, who are still single, stay with me and my husband. Lasty night they were both out.

With his classmates in law school, my son went straight to an overnight outing in a resort in Tanay; my daughter was on her night shift at a call center at Ortigas.

I prepared my greetings to the two of them this morning and texted my son thus:

My dear son… have you awaken early enough to watch the sun rising from behind the mountain? And have you lulled the moon to bed?

Wake up my dear and watch the mountains dressing up in mint suit half hidden behind the fogs.

As I was sending my text to my son, I felt some nostalgia that I could not send a similar morning greeting to my daughter. She is confined chilling inside a room with no fresh air and surrounded by thick curtains to hide the view of the towering buildings in a concrete jungle. So I texted her:

Hi dear daughter… Are you about to wrap up your connectedness with the people behind the voices—upbeat, thankful, pleasant, irate—to take your rest? But wait, did you remain cheerful through it all?

Come to the comfort of home and of your bed.

Then it dawned on me... my two dear children are poles apart. When they are just a few kilometers away from each other!

Justice... on Broken Chairs and Decrepit Shelves

2008-07-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

A week ago I was attending a hearing in a prosecution office and was inspired once again by the dedication of public servants performing their work as best as they can . Despite limited resources and difficult working conditions.

The Assistant Prosecutor handled each case with dispatch, zeal and enthusiasm. It was quite a feat for him that morning, hearing about 15 cases--even more-- with ease and even healthy humor. His pleasant disposition put the parties themselves, at ease.

The parties were streaming out of the small cubicle of about 3m. by 5m., up to its narrow hallway and all the way out to corridor. I was squeezing myself through the small door, breathing on the neck of my opponent and trying to show my face to my client to assure him I was there for him. From where I was standing, I could feel the moderate coolness of the room against the steaming heat outside of it.

Halfway through the morning, my client signalled me to come inside the room for a just-vacated round monoblock chair. I had been standing on high heels for more than two hours that even a small chair with a cut circular seat would be a glorious relief.

I had to stand after some time, tired of sitting on a broken chair without a recliner. As I did, the chair got stuck on my midi pencil cut skirt and I panicked a bit because it was almost our turn. After I wiggled myself free I rushed across for a free space. As a turned, I saw my client—big build, 6ft tall—sat on the broken chair. I had to signal him frantically to get up. I could imagine him strutting, once called, with a chair for a tail.

This incident reminds me of my earlier experience. I was filing a 50-page complaint with about 50 pieces of evidence gathered painstakingly for almost two years when I noticed the broken filing cabinets inside the staff room. Records and evidences were spilling out of shelves held together by ropes. The bottom shelf had totally collapsed and documents were escaping through the crack. I worried about over how these cabinets would shelter my records.

After all of 18 years, my records remained intact and even transported in one piece, all the way to the Supreme Court which decided in my favor.

Justice has been served, despite broken shelves. And the wheels of justice continue to grind despite broken chairs.

The faithful public servants continue to dispense their duties through sheer dedication and resourcefulness despite the limitations and difficult situations in public offices.

At Last, A Child in Law School

2008-05-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

This morning, Joey, my eldest child, laid on the couch of my private office and solemnly declared:

This is serendipity. That I am in law school only now, 5 years after getting out of school and after establishing my business is the best time for law. This is what we can call in God's time, the best moment. I felt sad the first time I was not able to get in, right away. Now I see there is always a good reason behind everything.Things will always turn out better, as long as we do our best in every circumstance, even in apparent failure and disappointment.

What can a mother say hearing from her son such a deep wisdom and a deeper faith. And for me nothing matters now. What's beyond ordinary celebration and calling for thanksgiving to the Lord is that finally I have a son studying law. And I am very sure, my son will be a lawyer every mother can dream of having--a lawyer with a good heart; one who can contribute in building a just society--one case, one document, one counsel, one word,one act at a time.

"You Will Be the Best Girl in My Life"

2008-04-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Be meticulously careful when cleaning up old files. You might miss out a note as lovely as this:

Hi Mom, You will be the best girl in my life

That's the introduction. The body follows:

Really sorry for not knowing that today was mother's day. I didn't mean to be so insensitive. I seem to disappoint you a lot though you are such a great mom to me. Thus, I wish to express my heartfelt apology.

Anyway, I soaked up your garden just like I promised...just to show I care.

So, happy mother's day

Val

Val is my third child. The letter must have been written many Mother's day celebrations, ago.

I Am a Portion of the Infinite

2008-04-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Below is a personal psalm I found in my old file with date May 10, 2002.

I Am a Portion of the Infinite

I am not a speck but a glittering scintilla

Not a dust but more solid than gold

Not made of frail flesh alone

But portion of the Infinite

For I am Your creation

You designed me for a Divine union.

Make me worthy of it My God.

Hunger

2008-04-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

One wrenching issue of the day is the rice shortage together with the world food crisis. The thought of a looming hunger– it’s now here in our country, a long time–can wring the guts of many.

Beth Day Romulo states in her article “Asia Needs a New Green Revolution”:

“It is actually a global crisis, since nearly half of the world’s population depend on rice as their staple food. The world is already consuming more rice than is harvested in any one season. So far the shortfall has been made up by reserve supplies.

But much needs to be done. The president has anticipated a crisis which Congress has so far ignored.” (Philippine Panorama, 03/30/2008)

My Bible reading for today, “Not All Hungers” (Sabbath: Scripture Meditation for Daily Life, 2008), speaks of a different kind of hunger. It is not less gut-wrenching. It says:

“In the Gospel today, Jesus is pleased to satisfy the hunger of the crowd by offering them the bread of the poor. But He doesn’t satisfy their hunger for power by offering Himself to be their king.”

The immoderate greed for money and power brazenly exhibited by many of our leaders and policy-makers are largely responsible for the curse of hunger descending upon our land. At the same time, our leaders’ hunger for money and power does not seem to be satiated at all, as well.

There are different kinds of hunger, indeed.

"No Rice Shortage" in the Big Dome

2008-04-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

It was a Phiippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference game earlier tonight (April 2, 2008) between Purefoods and Magnolia. The regulation game ended with 108 all. The Purefoods imported player, Darius Rice scored 47pts. in all.

So, Darius Rice was the reason behind the screen flashing "No Rice Shortage" when I chanced upon a game of basketball being cheered by a bursting crowd inside the Araneta Coliseum.

Rice scored 4 more points during the first overtime and capped his game with 56 points after the second overtime. Rice' team finally won by 1 point.

Purefood's victory stock was indeed sparse, considering an abundant supply of Rice.

Easter Instruction: "Go to Galillee"

2008-03-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Jesus Christ is risen. With this is our assurance that we will rise with Him; that God now lives in our hearts, in our midst and in everyone of us.

After rising from the dead, Christ gave the instruction for His diciples to "Go to Galillee".

Galillee is where Jesus Christ performed His missions: feeding the hungry; healing the sick; giving sight to the blind, providing hope to the despairring and the oppressed.

"Go to Galillee" is Christ's instruction to me, to you and to everyone. And start building God's Kingdom around.

Judases in our Country

2008-03-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

"Judas, indeed, had no concern for the poor; he was a thief and as he held the common purse, he used to help himself to the funds."(Jn 12:6)

People in government, corporate leaders, big landowners consumed with greed are the Judases betraying the interests of the Filipino people and are responsible for the extreme povery of the teeming masses.

They should go and hang themselves if like Judas, they don't know how to ask for forgiveness, refuse to return what they have stolen and are incapable of reforming themselves.

Jesus Christ is Thirsty... For Us

2008-03-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

A friend who will be sharing on the 5th Last Word of Jesus Christ asked for my input. Here is part of it.

Promise, no politics this time.

Let's talk about the ONE WHOSE love for you and me is beyond compare--very much unlike most of our crop of politicians. A heart that loves bleeds easily; a HEART that loves unconditinally bleeds profusely.

Imagine Jesus Christ whose love for us is beyond measure and eternal. Imagine Him saying: "I AM THIRSTY". We can be sure that He is thirsty not only for water-- He is thirsty for your response to His Love. While hanging on the cross, Christ was thirsty for the love and loyalty of those among the crowd who betrayed Him. And now, Christ remains thirsty for our love.

(Give examples of how people have turned their back to Christ making Him crave for their attention and thirsty for their affection)

Christ thirsts not for Himself; He thirsts because He knows that we cannot find happiness where we are looking for it--pleasure, money,power. He thirst for the happiness He wants to give but which the people reject. Parents among you know very well that when out kids rebel and go wrong, we suffer not for ourselves; we suffer for our kids. Just like, Jesus Chris. He suffers from hunger & thirst for us.

How much longer are we going to let Jesus remain thirsty?

Do We Deserve Our President?

2008-03-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

How much longer shall we bear the arrogant posture of PGMA & her administrative and legislative cohorts before we say: "Enough with fooling the people; enough with insulting our intelligence; enough with your corrupt ways."

How much longer shall we pray and reflect before we see the light that God performs miracles through the peoples' heart, minds, legs and arms. Right, the Spirit of the Lord blows but we have to lend ourselves to give the inspiration, its concrete shape and form. We have to stop wishing thatlightning strike Malacañang or a deluge sweep the palace into the filthy Pasig river. Prayer without action is an empty lamentation. Even the contemplative nuns and monks tender their garden and raise their poultry. They don't just pray and wait for the manna to shower them from heaven.

Under PGMA the nation is governed under an era of lust for money and power.Her reign is characterized by widespread poverty, breakdown of peace and order, violation of basic human rights-- extrajudicial killings, repression of rights of peaceful assembly, violent demolitions of shanties and vendors' stalls, oppressed farmers and workers. Do we deserve all these?

I believe that God is waiting for us, His/Her beloved people, to forge the miracle of reform through a concerted action and a unified front. I remember reading in the Bible that Love and Unity are the marks of a true Christian. We are all believers in Christ. Why are we disunited in working for a government run with righteousness? Why is CBCP, as a body, speaking unanimously but member bishops are acting ifferently? Who's driving the wedge into the hearts of believers that they may be divided and be easily subjugated by the rule of evil.?

When shall we, as one people seize the constitutional avenue of a snap election... and try again? Nothing can be worse than what we presently have anyway!

Otherwise, we might just prove, we deserve the leader we get, indeed!

God Speaks From Within

2008-03-03T20:02:00.000-08:00

When turmoil is rioting within, the soul can be razed into discordant pieces. During one such moment, I waited upon the Lord till God speaks within. The Spirit inspired this prayer:

Lord soak me in your silence and let my soul drown in your Spirit.

This contemplation was reinforced by the following e-mail, a forward from Eddie Cuenca

Top Ten Predictions

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.

God whispers in your soul and speaks to your mind.
Sometimes when you don't have time to listen, He
has to throw a brick at you. It's your choice:
Listen to the whisper, or wait for the brick.

Meditating around the prayer can set in a calm that one experiences only in the Presence of God.

Jun Lozada as THE EVIDENCE of the Truth on the ZTE NBN Scandal

2008-03-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

There are different kinds of evidence under the Rules of Court of the Philippines.

The Rules classify evidence according to form into:

1, object or real evidence (Sec. 1, Rule 130)
2. documentary evidence (Secs. 2-19, Rule 130); and

3. testimonial evidence (Secs 20-51, Rule 130)

Testimonial evidence is that which is submitted to the court through the testimony of a witness. This testimony is what we are getting from our courageous witnesses like Jun Lozada and Joey de Venecia; and partly by the half-baked testimony of Romulo Neri, at the senate investigation.

Lozada is not only evidently credible due to his spontaneity and consistency. Joey de Venecia and Romulo Neri furthermore corroborate his testimony on material points such as the excessive overprice of US$130M commission of Abalos. According to Lozada’s testimony, said level of greed goes into the depths of the “forbidden zone” of corruption. In the opinion of Neri, the amount is “ immoderate greed”.

Likewise, the discordant and conflicting testimonies of the government functionaries are also evidences of lies and deception. The testimony of Sec. Gaite is also highly incredible because lending PhP .5 Million without evidence nor security for the big loan and only upon a text from someone you have met only twice runs counter to the grain of reality and the ordinary course of human experience.

With regards the attempt by Senator Miriam Santiago and other pro-administration senators to destroy the credibility of Lozada by questioning the witness’ personal integrity, let me cite relevant decisions of the court on similar issues.

In the “People of the Philippines vs. Sanchez” the former mayor of Calauan was convicted of rape with murder (or homicide?). The principal witness was the driver of the ambulance used by Sanchez in the abduction of the victims. The driver/mayor's side kick/witness was an accomplice--but least guilty--to the crime and had a less than admirable if not condemnable past. In believing the said witness' testimony against Sanchez, the Makati RTC Judge declared something to this effect: ' This is a crime hatched in hell; we can not expect witnesses who are angels' ( the word angel is mine but that was what the Honorable Judge meant."

The other case is the Aquino-Galman double murder case. One of the principal witnesses was the “crying lady” whose credibility was being impeached by cross examining her on her colored past. Her response: “My past does not at all destroy the truth of what I saw.” And the whole world found her a credible witness of the events that her eyes witnessed on that fateful day at the tarmac of the Philippine airport.

The Senate investigation remains to be the only avenue to the truth about the ZTE NBN scandal. The senate can ferret out the truth by its power to issue subpoena to force witnesses to attend at its hearing and to issue subpoena duces tecum to demand the delivery of documents which the guilty parties are keeping in their vaults.

Please be reminded that the evidences submitted to the Sandiganbayan during the trial of the plunder-convicted Estrada were records of the investigation and evidences gathered by the senate.

The road to truth is oftentimes paved with briers and thorns. But those who are sincerely searching for the truth should be ready to walk on fires and nails if necessary. Remember God's concrete proof of His/Her immeasurable Love for us? It is the mangled Body of the Son of God hanging on the cross.

Barack Obama, A Monument to HOPE

2008-02-19T20:56:00.000-08:00

It was a political rally in Wisconsin where Obama again won in the Democratic primary among democrats.

He responded to the criticism hurled against him by Hilary Clinton who said that Obama is peddling only hope to the American electorate. To this Obama said:

" When I was two years old, my father left me to the care of my mother and grandparents. They gave only three things: love, education & hope."

Jun Lozada Soul-Scorching Quote

2008-02-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

During the February18,2008 Philippine Senate hearing on the corruption-drenched ZTE National Broadband Network (NBN) deal, Jun Lozada was egged by the senators to say every piece of truth he knows of his personal knowledge.

Trembling and on the verge of tears, Lozada quoted former Socio-Economic Planning Secretary, Romulo Neri as having said: "GLORIA IS AN EVIL PERSON."

Neri, according to Lozada uttered this ominous quote during one intimate session with a small group composed of Lozada, Lito Banayo, Senators Panfilo Lacson & Jamby Madrigal and their staff. According to Lozada, Sec Neri was then in his element illustrating the ecosystem of corruption in government with Pres. GMA at the center of its web.

Jun Lozada Soul-Moving Quote

2008-02-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

When I decided to walk into the light, I just wanted to save my soul; I didn't know my coming out to tell the truth will save the country's soul.

Quotes to Ponder on Philippine Situation

2008-02-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

"I disagree with those who think that Filipinos have turned numb and no longer feel much social outrage. I sense that much outrage is underground, and can pack as much energy as a volcano." Mahar Mangahas

"I consider political action resulting from the slow boil of the people's anger ultimately more enduring than any dish we can cook with microwave heat." Randy David

"President Arroyo is said to be praying everyday but it always seems to be done in front of cameras. Praying is about facing the truth, but is she facing the truth?" Praying is about penance. When she said 'I am sorry( in connection with the Hello Garci scandal), is that penance? Penance is about returning what you stole and healing the damage you've done." Fr. Robert Reyes (Running Priest).

"Corruption in government is so brazen and so blatant,Philippine economy is so brittle. If you love your country, you will work for change regardless of your station in life. If you are stable and you love yourself, you will prefer the status quo." A Filipino /Chinese businessman-client who professed his admiration for Jun Lozada.

Jun Lozada Against a Pack of Wolves

2008-02-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

During the February 11, 2008 hearing on the ZTE National Broadband Network deal, a pack of lying wolves swooped down the Philippine Senate to tear into bits, Rodolfo Noel Lozada, Jr., a man who has seen the light and decided to expose the extent of government corruption which according to him has gone way deep into the "forbidden zone". Lozada said that joning them all the way into that depth of corruption will already cause him whatever is left of his soul and dignity as a human being.

Throughout the ten-hour hearing, Lozada was meek yet strong. He emerged not only unscathed but more credible. His honesty and humility demolished all pretentions of the administration functionaries. Instead of being shaken, Lozada's consistency, spontaneity and transparency blew into bits the false posturing of the wolves in the Senate.

Jun Lozada's Tears

2008-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

The newly resigned president of the Philippine Forest Corporation, Rodolfo Lozada, Jr.was sheding real tears and tightly controlling his sobs as he recounted his fears and agony over his need to testify on another scandal hounding the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the ZTE Broadband deal.
The deal is just one of the numerous government transactions that reek of greed and corruption among the highest officials of the land. Among those involved in the Broadband was the resigned and discredited Commissioner of the Commission on Election. Benjamin Abalos.

One striking instruction given to Lozada by the the government functionary directly in charge to oversee the project-- NEDA Director, Romulo Neri-- is : "Moderate their greed". And Lozada tried; he told Abalos, " Your cut is too huge, "bubukol yan" (it will erupt). Unable to stomach the stench of corruption involved, Lozada got out of the project.

Lozada has no doubt at all that should he speak out before the senate investigation, it will have to be the truth... that the resigned Abalos plotted receiving $130Million commission out of the government project and that the First Gentleman, Mike Arroyo is involved. And when the First Gentleman is in, the President is not far behind.

Extremely afraid and oppressed, Lozada would have wanted to let this cup pass, but he could not turn his back to our country's call and need for heroes. He said:"I am doing this not just for one small family but for the whole country because our country is one family. He seemed to be carrying on his back the collective suffering of every Filipino. "After a prolonged agony, I am ready to go into the light", Lozada declared, his tears flowing, his sobs controlled, mute witnesses to the truth he was spilling from his guts.

He tried to contain his emotion, but the burden was too heavy for one man to bear. And I cried with him as he shook under the weight of a whole country's burden.

Share a Thought, if not a Piece of Land

2008-02-05T16:46:00.000-08:00

This is an invitation for you to drop in at http://philandreform.x.am , a forum on Holistic Agrarian Reform.

I am not an expert on land reform. Just like you perhaps, mine is simply a sympathy for the poor. And a willingness to learn from one another as to how we can contribute to their relief. Heal their body and spirit; in the end, heal our land.

Since the Philippines is basically an agricultural land, majority of the Filipinos' economic life is grounded on the soil. Most of its poor are peasants and fisherfolks. Even the teeming urban poor consists of farmers driven to the cities by the harsh poverty in the countryside. Their deprivation is caused to a great extent, by landlessness, low productivity and armed conflicts-- the last due mainly to a struggle for land ownership.

Let us share our hearts and minds and from our combined thoughts we may hopefully distill a clear vision for a doable Holistic Land Reform. Holistic it should be in the sense that it is beneficial for everyone. For the farmers, a feeling of security and dignity, a sense of responsibility, vigorous community spirit and gratitude to the ULTIMATE GIVER of Land. For the landwoners-benefactors, business sectors and technology and credit providers, new and diverse opportunities. For the country, a patriotic citizenry and a strong backbone for democratic institutions.

So quench your thirst for social justice in our land, drink from the cup of this forum and refill it to the brim with your own ideas, researches and dreams...for a truly comprehensive agrarian reform program for a better Philippines.

_________________
Atty. Ma. Gracia Rinoza-Plazo
Moderator
Philippine Land Reform Forum

Land Distribution as Divine Will

2008-01-31T22:17:00.000-08:00

Vatican ll, 1965, and the Pastoral Constitution of the Catholic Church (Gaudium et Spes, 69 provides:

God destined the earth and all it contains for all men and all peoples so that all created things would would be shared fairly by all mankind under the guidance of justice tempered by charity

Likewise, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Towards a Better Distribution of Land: The Challenge of Agrarian Reform, November, 1997, the Church in its social teachings assert that the concentration of landholdings in a few hands is judged a scandal that goes against God's will and plan for salvation since it deprives the majority of humankind of the fruits of the earth.

Unequal distribution of land and landlessness in the Philippines is a form of injustice as solid and as cruel as the rugged and jagged earth. This hardened form of injustice has loong been imbedded in the Philippine social matrix and has spawned social conflicts affecting not only the countryside. Poverty in the rural areas feeds rebellion. It also pushes rural folks to the cities to suffer another form of social affliction in the concrete jungle.

A genuine land reform can arrest this vicious cycle of the poor being tossed here and there, getting poorer and poorer and being continuously deprived of dignity as human beings. Genuine land reform however must not only address the needs of the landless poor, but must also protect the rights of the landowners. I have had personal encounters with farmer beneficiaries who have turned the table against the benefacors and with the aid of DAR officials, wittingly or unwittingly became the abusers themselves.

It is human heritage that power can easily corrupt its wielder. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) of the Philippines. for all its noble objectives has been open to grievous abuses largely by the landowners and to a certain extent, also by the farmer beneficiaries.

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) under CARL is expiring by 2008. By all means, it must be extended. The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) says that there are still 1.2 million hectares of private agricultural lands that need to be distributed to the farmers.There are big tracts of land which have been placed under the operation of CARP in a manner being questioned by the farmer beneficiaries themselves as those which availed of the Stock Distribution Option, instead of land grant. It is ironic that in a majority of cases, the present land reform is one over which implementation, both the landowners and the farmers are unhappy.

Now is the chance, after the hard lessons of the past years of a failed land reform program, to design one which will finally liberate the givers from greed and the receivers from the bondage of the soil they till.It should provide an equitable distribution inspired not only by justice but also charity on the part of the law and the giver and one which can not be abused with lawlessness in the name of poverty.

Goodness is it's own Blessing

2008-01-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

I read somewhere that the apostles on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus after His resurrection because God has ressurected in the form of every person we encounter in the road of life.

Jesus Christ can be our stronghold and everlasting motivation for kindness. When I sometimes get tired loving, especially those who turn out to be ungrateful as some beneficiaries of "pro bono" services do-- they can be demanding as well--I find consolation in the thought that no good act is ever wasted and every single act of charity will add up to the totality of humankindness. Then I offer all of it to God.

One of the more hearbreaking lament I hear from spouses--mostly wives and mothers is:"How could he/she ever do this ungratefulness/betrayal after all the loving I had done?" I heard these searing words spoken also by a jilted husband--actually two husbands. Both of them are successful businessmen but very unlucky for marrying the wrong women. Both wives abandoned them for another men.

I personally could not fathom how this misfortune could befall on these two generous, inteliigent and successful husbands. They were both generous to the end. Although they had grounds for legal separation which can result in the forfeiture of the share of the wives in the conjugal assets, they decided to file nullity cases which includes an equitable division of the property of the marriage. Their love for their children whom they wanted to shield from a bloody litigation inspired that kind of forgiveness and quality of kindness. The women didn't know what they lost.

But then who am I to judge any woman's heart? No one can ever plunge into her heart's innermost sanctum except she and her Divine Designer and Creator.

And for those who feel betrayed, I can only offer my standard consolation: "That all good acts are rewarded--and that goodness is its own blessing.

Sumilao Farmers... A Bright Light

2008-01-25T22:54:00.000-08:00

Staunch advocate for the Sumilao farmers, Lawyer Marlon Manuel sounded optimistic when he said "Sumilao" is a derivative of the word "silaw" which is the effect of a bright light. Atty Manuel considers the Sumilao farmers and their long march to own the land they till, a lighthouse of hope for a better life for all the farmers throughout the nation.

Their 2-months trek--Oct. 10 - Dec. 10, 2007, from San Vicente, Bukidnon to Manila--earned for them not only public support and sympathy but also dignity for a people who has the grit and courage to walk and stand for their right.

Their long walk brought them to an audience with Pres GMA and secured for them an executive order reverting their land from being classified as agro-industrial to agricultural land and thus available again for distribution under the Comprerhensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). San Miguel Corporation, the parent company of SMFI who now owns the land sought a reconsideration of the said order.

More needs to be done, mostly on the part of the Executive who stopped short with the order of reclassification without making the follow-up steps to concretize the order into actual distribution. Making the necessary steps for actual distribution is a political act on the part of the President.

Former Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Ernesto Garilao remarked during the ANC TV talk show "The Big Picture" (01/25/08) that the mobilization of the Sumilao farmers have gained victory, but more needs to be done by all sectors to apply moral and political pressure on the executive to implement the promise of the executive order.

In the same program, another former DAR Secretary expressed his opinion that agrarian reform will not succeed if government and business sector will not do their part. And he believes that poverty and social conflict such as the secession movement are due to landlessness to a significant degree. According to Sec. Abad, the present state of things show land reform has failed. Tenants can not be owner-cultivator and farm manager overnight. After acquiring the farm, they need training, support services, capital. The irony is and sadly, a proof that agrarrian reform reform has failed is that, the farmers have not yet been given the land.

Thus in the words of Atty Manuel, "Let the Sumilao march be an invitation to all to join and support the mobilization of all the farmers. 12 of the Sumilao farmers are in Manila to date and plans are afoot for more peaceful actions and representations." These are being done with the help of the Church heirarchy--foremost among them, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales--and the Ateneo-based Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan.

More need to be done. Every little help of every Filipino, individually and collectively is needed, to bring the farmers to the promised land.

Choose Your Own Battle

2008-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

I have been lawyering for a clan for years and been attempting to evangelize the unweildly members by teaching them values of truth, fairness, justice,order and faith in God. My lawyering job is ending successfully while evangelizing is failing dismally.

In the area of morals and values, my effort does not seem to produce result that I am now mulling over moving on and turning away. It is not easy to just give up and admit there is nothing more I can do.

Until my eldest son, Joey said: " If your efforts are no longer producing the desired result then why continue throwing your pearls to the swine." ( I think that is Bible-based). The he followed it up with: "As a a general said,' Choose Your Own Battles.' You maight be able to put your efforts and resources to better endeavors."

Now, that makes it easier for me to move on.

A Lawyer Who Doesn't Like To Sue

2008-01-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

Whenever a client comes to me, I explore all avenues for settlement of the conflict between the parties.

Today is a meeting between my client and the plaintiffs. The latter at first, refused to settle amicably and proceeded to file civil and criminal cases against my client. While defending my client in both cases I continue to invoke the Divine Mediator to intervene and stop a very protracted litigation that will unnecessarily clog the court dockets and cause the parties untold emotional turmoil on top legal expenses.

I knew that Jesus, my Model Mediator can find a way. He who

listens to all sides in silence; hearing not only what is being shouted aloud by the crowd, but also what is being whispered about in hushed voices. Moreover, Jesus sees and hears the love unspoken and the silent grief for the sins committed.(Easing the Pains of Battle p. 42)

And before the meeting I provided the mediator an excerpt from the same book (pp 42-43) which says:

As a mediator, you can offer yourself, not as someone with grand solutions to the parties' problem. Present yourself as a fellow traveller, subject as well to the same pains and struggles of every human being. As you offer your hand and walk with hurting fellow women and men, rouse them to hope and stir them to search for solutions. Before sitting on the mediation table call on the Divine Traveller to journey with you and light your way toward a bright path

At "Home" With one Another

2008-01-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

It is the most psychical yet most commonplace definition of family I have encountered. The word "family" according to Fr. Cornelio Lagerway, MSC, is closest to the word: belonging. According to him:

When we say: I'm home, we mean- here is where I belong. The sense of
belonging is an important aspect we should develop and deepen in our
relationship, in the human as well as in the spiritual family.

The sense of being home and at home with each other is the root of strength
and the source of care and love which we need so much for peace and
growth.

In the movie, Independence Day, one of the main characters, a lady journalist faced death with the onrushing sea with peace in her heart after discovering she was loved by her long-lost and just-found father. Her newly discovered sense of belonging provided her courage to face the end of the world serenely.

This sense of family can propel you to reach the heights, firmly rooted to your basic sense of self and interconnected to others who matter in your happiness.

The Sumilao Farmer's Long March to Justice -2-

2008-01-21T03:32:00.000-08:00

The Sumilao farmers' case stands out as a living, breathing, walking, sometimes limping and even crawling symbol of the oppressed, exploited and abused landless of the Philippines.

The plight of the peasants --which includes fisherfolks-- should take precedence in the agenda for poverty alleviation and development of the nation. Our country is still an agricultural country and developing our agricultural land remains to be one concrete avenue towards our country's progress.

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which is supposed to be the most revolutionary approach towards the amelioration of the plight of the majority of our poor is also one of the more prostituted projects of government. I have personally seen how 10,000 farmers occupying Hacienda Looc of my hometown of Nasugbu, Batangas have been subjected to the ignominy of the Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) Bigay-Bawi ( Grant- Repossess) scheme of the DAR via the convenient vehicle of conversion of decades-long agricultural land into something else, to accommodate the moneyed land developers.

Re-zoning of agricultural lands into commercial properties is another legalized scheme resorted to by the local government. Of course, there is also the corporative scheme employed by the biggest landowners in the country who grant the farmers what to the latter is a useles piece of Cerificate of Shares of Stocks-- which earns very minimal dividends if it ever does--instead of giving them a piece of land they can cultivate as their own.

This mind-boggling, heart - piercing and gut- wrenching issue of land distribution vis-a-vis the unabated bastardizationof CARP under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) dovetail with the march of the Sumilao farmers.

With their sturdy barefeet, hopefully, social justice via land reform can start to strike root on our beloved soil.

Disturbing Page on "The WORLD"

2008-01-20T21:57:00.000-08:00

Disturbing is a very light word to describe it. "The WORLD" page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (01/21/08) carries this distressing, soul-shocking, heart-rending news item.

1.2 million US abortions a year

WASHINGTON--SOME 1.2 Million women have an abortion every year in the United States, although the rate is dropping and has reached its lowest level since 1976.

In 2005, the rate of abortions among women aged 15 to 44 had fallen to 19.4 out of every 1,000 women compared with a peak of 29.3 per 1,000 in 1981.

These figures were contained in a study by the Guttmacher Institute released Thursday just ahead of the 35th anniversay of the legalization of abortion in the United States.

Part of the reason for the falling figures appears to be linked to the increased use of
the morning-after contraceptive pill which is available over the counter without a
prescription.

There has also been a slight drop in the number of teen-age pregnancies. One study said that one teenager in 10 gave birth in 2005, compared with 12.8 percent in 1990. Among African-Americans the rate was higher at 16.8 percent compared to 23 percent in 1990.

According to the Census Bureau, there were 420,000 babies born to mothers under 19 in 2005.

But the declining abortion could also be linked to a drop in the number of centers which carry out the practice, as they have fallen from 2,9000 in 1980 to 1,800 in 2000. AFP

Whatever decrease the article is reporting offers no consolation at all. That is a million angels in flesh and blood chopped into bloody pieces--with their body and souls rejected by a cruel, scalpel- driven world.

In Suppport of Governor Ed Panlilio - 2

2008-01-18T19:24:00.001-08:00

This is a quote from a letter to the Editor (Philippine Daily Inquirer-01/19/08)by Arnold Van Vugt of Cagayan de Oro City.

When times call for priests to go into politics

xxxxx

Except for Canon Law, there is no biblical or theological basis whatsoever for saying that priests cannot run for a political position. It is purely disciplinary law, similar to the law that bans priests from marrying. Even Canon Law allows priests to take action in situations when the well-being of the laity is in danger.
xxxxxxxxx

Father Panlilio has shown as a priest that moral leadership is possible, even in the extraordinary circumstances of Pampanga. Clearly he is driven as a priest by the power of the Holy Spirit.

xxxxxxxxxx

I would like to quote here a few words spoken by the late Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador 30 years ago: "It is very easy to be servants of the word without disturbing the world; a spiritual word, a word without any connection with history, a word that could sound in any place of the world.... Such a word has no problems, doesn't call for any conflict. What really calls for conflicts and persecution, what really is a sign of a true Church, is the Word that proclaims and denounces, burning as the words of the prophets. The Word that announces to the people of God the wonders of God, the Word that accuses of sin those who obstruct the Kingdom of God, so that they may tear out this sin from their hearts, from their political structures that oppress, corrupt and harm the rights of God and of mankind." Blazing words spoken on Dec. 10,1977!

If the bishops as one had spoken that prophetic Word, the country today would not be in such a miserable condition, our political system would not have been that corrupt and most of all, President Macapagal-Arroyo would not have been able to continue her reign of deceit and terror.

In Support of Governor Ed Panlilio

2008-01-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Gov. Ed Panlilio,

I thank you for offering yourself to serve as governor of Pampanga. You did it because no other decent person was willing to offer oneself to redeem your province from the grimy clutches of corrupt politicians. You entered into the wily world of Philippine politics as a sacrificial lamb ready to offer your life & all in the service of your people.

I wished somebody with the same selfless dispositon and exceptional courage did it in my province of Batangas or in Quezon City where I reside. When you made that decision, you only showed that you are a genuine disciple of Christ. That you are ready to face all the snares & dangers of politics to serve God in your neighbor, is for me the most pristine form of priesthood.

With your decision, you brought honor to us all, to the country, to the prieshood. Above all, you give glory to our God you serve. When you won, the whole nation rejoiced with you. Your victory is a triumph of raw courage and innate sense of righteousness of the majority of your provincemates.

Soon, we saw you making a difference in the governance of Pampanga. Then you proved that you are big enough to belong to the whole country. Now you are showing how one man with a pure and sincered desire to serve the people can create an impact that can reshape the destiny of the whole nation, with your capacity to stand for what is right and honorable.

One public servant like you is enough to keep the flame of hope alive. During these days of national gloom and doom, the light of your fortitude and honesty as a public servant can provide the flicker that can dispel the enveloping darkness. And many more will follow your lighted way.

Be assured of my prayers. I join the many well-meaning Filipinos saying a prayer that you succeed in your mission of evangelizing Philippine politics.

Sincerely,
Ma. Gracia Riñoza-Plazo

Court Trials as Inimitable Entertainment

2008-01-17T01:00:00.000-08:00

I always feel high watching a court drama, more specially a real one. But I don't have the way with words or the facility with the language to be able to portary my sentiment vividly and sharply.

Then I came across Thane Rosenbaum, author of The Myth of Moral Justice.. On page 5 of this work he describes the drama in a court room in an aesthetical manner as I would have wished to:

Trials are where the human drama unfolds in a public spectacle of infinite variety and amusement. The dress code is formal, even though the secrets and lies are laid bare. It is an atmosphere that looms with solemnity and ceremony, yet the disclosures that arise from such proceedings are often indiscreet and out of order. Characters are believable precisely because they are real. There is no need for central casting in a courthouse. The roles are already taken by people who don't know their lines. The stories are their own; the emotions raw and yet, at the same time, overcooked. It is in a courtroom where the presumptions of justice, innocence, and guilt must contend with the more primal, less predictable stuff of life--the dashed hopes and false dreams, the longings that have gone on far too long, the resentments that linger, and the grievances that never found time, or the poper place, to grieve.. The courthouse turns each of us into witnesses. The confessions and admissions, the shame and the stain,the broken silences and invoked privileges, the surprise turns and numbing tedium, all catch our attention and hold us willing prisoners. Pure entertainment under the cover and pretense of a legal system at work.

It is not surprising that Rosenbaum writes about the law with such elan and elegance. Los Angeles Times Book Review says of him: "Rosenbaum seeks to use law as a means not simply of achieving justice but of changing the hearts of humankind." He has the gifts, the training and the tool to so achieve. More than a lawyer, he is an educator and an artist.

Short Time in Heaven

2008-01-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

Fr. JBoy, SJ, said in one of his homilies at the UP Church of the Risen Christ that if we abide in love we remain in God. My Cathechism teachers described heaven as a place of continuous singing with rhythm and movements of joy. Heaven is where God is,where good will reigns and where everyone lives in unity and harmony.

Yesterday, I had a full 6 hours of songs,prayers and praises to God, goodwill and consideration to others, harmony and friendliness among complete strangers --in a place where the Spirit of God dwells. While I was lining up in an overcrowded ladies room and stomping my feet gently to hold my kidney from bursting, the lady in front of me said solicituously, "Please go ahead, you seem to be of more urgent need for relief." I have not experienced such consideration for a long while and from complete strangers.

My husband and I had an experience of heaven yesterday, January 12, 2008 with about twenty thousand members of the Couples for Christ (CfC) community during the CfC Leaders Conference at the Araneta Coliseum at Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines. It took place after a tragedy of the previous year where a split among the elders of the CfC shook the family down to its very roots. The experience of yeaterday proved, CfC has emerged stronger because the members continue to abide in Love and God reigns among them.

Messenger of Hope

2008-01-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

"We are called to be agents of and messengers of hope." It is a line in a Gospel explanation entitled Baptism of the Lord. It was forwarded by a brother in the Kapatiran Party, Mr. Ed Cuenca, who cares enough to share the Word of God to others.

How? With our own sense of helplessness and weaknesses, it is hard to imagine how we can bring about hope to others--especially with our very limited resources--during these times of utter hopelessness in our midst. What can I do to help the poor who are crawling all around me when I am one of them? And joy to the lonely when I too am saddled with pains?

Then I realized that if there is nothing more that we can offer, perhaps our very presence may help lift a sagging spirit; a kind word may lighten a heavy heart, a loving touch may wipe a tear or even prevent it from swelling up; a compassionate smile can bring burst of sunlight in a gloomy corner of desperation; and yes, a forwarded e-mail may enlighten others in their faith.

Everyone can be a messenger of hope in big and small ways. What is needed is only a caring heart.

Building the Kingdom of God Right Here and Now

2008-01-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

The Gospel reading today (LK 4:14-23) gives a most specific instruction on how we can build the Kingdom of God right where we are. The Gospel says that Jesus unrolls the scroll and finds where it is written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to bring liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and announce the Lord's year of mercy.

In concrete terms it speaks of how our knowledge of Jesus' teachings and the Spirit of God in us can provide the inspiration and the ability to make a difference in the lives of those closest to us and in most need of our attention.

Freeing a Mother's Heart Will Free a Child

2008-01-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

A few mothers were being interviewed on being mothers. They were giving standard motherly reactions. And a standard mother can always be inspiring. They appear to be really a cut above the rest of humanity in their capacity to feel and emote.

It must be because a mother is capable of soooo much love. Intelligent sons sometimes brush it aside as pure maternal instinct which may partly be true. But love is always an act of the will. It is above instinct.

One of the sons of a mother has inflicted sooo much pain on his mother. The mother shared that the deepest cut in her mother's heart is to finally realize and accept that her adult child does not love her enough. That all the conflicts that have existed between her and her son were brought about by her asking for a little more love and respect than her son is willing or is capable of giving. It is this son who from time to time would end their strained talk and serious conflicts--serious enough to shake their relationship to its root--with: "You prayed for intelligent children, this is what you get!"

"How do you shield a mother from such a retort of a child--adult at that-- who coats his disrespect with presumed intelligence?" she querried.Then continued, "I consider it the most irrational of all intelligence. How do you free a mother's heart from such a contradiction in logic?"

Wait! Does a mother's heart need freeing? Really? Perhaps not! A mother thrives best in loving without counting the cost or expecting any return on her investment. A mother's heart is most free when it simply loves in the manner her heart is designed to be-- all-giving. I am reminded of a line in Filipino movie "Anak". The mother who was forced to work as domestic helper abroad came back to her family, every member of which has not done well in life and even blames the mother's absence for their failure. The mother questions: "How much love is a mother expected to give to be entitled to some reward?"

If distraught mothers indeed need some liberation then perhaps it can spring from a realization that different people loves differently. Both mother and child may have given their all but both suffer mutual dissatisfaction. For both of them, deeper understanding can bring about forgiveness. Mutual understanding and foriveness alone can free both hearts from the dark forces which have hold them hostage.

Or perhaps, mothers have to just learn to accept the painful reality that some children can be ungrateful. Then offer her pains to the Lord Who has entrusted said child to her loving care.

Freeing a Judge from Ignorance of the Law

2008-01-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I worked liked I never worked before to free a client--within the legal parameters--from being arrested. The Municipal Trial Court judge has warned her of an automatic issuance of a warrant of arrest upon receipt of the information from the prosecutor's office.

I have a vague nottion that her case which involves issuance of a bounced check doesn't automatically entail arrest under the new procedure. After a frantic research I found the law and Supreme Court resolution I needed to free my client. My Urgent Manifestation was ready before the end of the day.

To be able to save my client, my more daunting task now is how to free the Honorable Judge from her ignorance of the law.

A Magnanimous New Year Contract

2008-01-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

A most generous, unilateral contract just reached me. It is also the most specific in its magnanimity. The sender calls it "2008 Friendship Renewal Contract".

My Wish for You in 2008:

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal
your debts. May the pockets of your jeans be come a magnet of
money. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may
laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success
like smoking tyres, and may happiness slap you across the face
and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had
forget your home address! In simple words ............

May 2008 be the the beginning of the best years of your life!!!

I charged the sender who is a former monk and sometimes calls himself monk"ey" with the onerous obligation of seeing to it that all terms be fulfilled to my outmost benefit since it falls under the classification of a contract of adhesion. It is the type of contract which weighs heavily on the originator because it leaves the party no chance to bargain on the terms and has no choice but to affix one's signature to it if accepted.Furthermore, all vague provisions of a contract of adhesion is to be interpreted against the originator.

Trusting the sender's strong connectedness to the Source of everything that is Good, I look forward to the fulfillment of the gratuitous contract.

Dreaming of an OBAMA for the Philippines

2008-01-05T23:15:00.000-08:00

The stunning win of Barack Obama at the Iowa caucus opens the possibility of a Barack Obama for the White House.

Barack Obama is an African-American freshman Illinois senator and is closely pitted against Hillary Clinton for nomination as the presidential contender of the US democratic party. Clinton is touted as the candidate with experience and thus the capacity to serve as US President at day one. Obama is equated with youth and idealism.

Clinton attacks Obama's lack of experience while Obama refers to Clinton as a tired symbol of a poisoned political establishment. I believe that the contest is not just youth versus experience. More than that is what this young man has to offer and what age and opportunity failed to do.

In one of his public speeches,Obama asserted: "That is a gamble we cannot afford. That is a risk we cannot take. It is time to turn the page. It is time to stand up. It is time for us to create the kind of America we can believe in again."

I dream of a Philippines that a lot of Filipinos--most especially those who have left the country-- can trust again.

Old vs. Antique

2008-01-04T22:13:00.000-08:00

Year 2007 was such an intensely dynamic year no matter how you look at it. Out of the many topics of interest, I could not pick one as a fitting citation for the year past and a grandiose welcome for the new one. Until I received this reply (copied below)) to my e-mail from someone I consider a mentor but who is insisting he is a friend.

dear grace:

i am not a wise old man. i am a wise guy. :):):)

i am not old. i am an antique. old is that which, with the passing of time, deteriorates and losses value while an antique is that which gets better and acquires more value with the passing of time. the reason why my wife refuses to acquire antique pieces for the house is because she says one antique (me) is more than enough.

ric, the ancient one.

To this my response is:

It never crossed my mind that you are old, Bro. Ric. I always equate you with wisdom but not with years. For me, you are a dynamo, a powerhouse of positive and creative thoughts which can be very spiritual and down-to-earth at the same time. That makes you very young, regardless of your age. It' s because spirituality knows no age. It is immortal.

But then, how can anything be an antique without the years. Unless it is a fake antique like those artifacts made to look aged by the artist's sleigh of hand?

Grace

The exchange was triggered by a powerpoint presentation "A WISE OLD MAN" forwarded to me by a year-end blessing who is:

Nellie V. Mangubat
Tropical Disease Foundation
Suite 2002, 20th floor
Medical Plaza Makati Condominium
cor. Amorsolo & de la Rosa Sts.
Makati City 1229

Ms Mangubat responded to a December e-mail of appeal for help for Bukid Kabataan (BK) which houses and heals abused and abandoned children and is under the management of the Good Shepherd Sisters. She followed her notice of bank deposit for BK with the inspiring "Wise Old Man". I forwarded this powerpoint presentation to chosen friends, both new and antique, young and old.

Such a trail of reaching-out and generosity is a most spiritual tribute to the year 2007 and a rousing welcome for the new-born 2008.

My Mother Came Back Home

2007-12-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

It is extremely challeging to write about something or someone you hold very dear in your heart and regard with great awe.

I have two mothers. One of them--the one who reared me in her womb and nurtured me tenderly into what I am now, passed away when I was barely in my teens.Before her passing at a young age of 39, she had inculcated in me all the values I would need to cope well in my life's journey.

This is about my second mother, the one who has not really left me. She is the one who keeps coming back despite me abandoning her-- or so I thought.The first mother introduced her to me. She taught me how to pray the Holy Rosary in recognition of this Mother's special role in the life of our Saviour. My mother convinced me that every decade of the Rosary is my staircase to heaven. She encouraged me to attend the NOvena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help every Wednesday.The said Novena adresses every possible human concerns and ideals from our personal needs-both temporal and spiritual-- to our role in the community as we travel with our fellow human beings, from God and back to God.In turn, I gifted my only daughter with this Novena prayer.

Neither my daughter nor I have been using the Novena prayers to our Mother of Perpetual Help. I just try to look at it and read a line or two from time to time. For years I have not attended the same novena. Life has taken on a dizzyingly fast turn, the devotion to Mother Mary was one of the precious treasures jettisoned out of my overloaded vessel. Even the Holy Rosary became too long and too repetitious to merit special time from my loaded schedule. Though in my mind, I value it as a string of roses that I can lay before the feet of her son, Jesus.

When I was a child, attending the Novena and going to church for that matter was not only pleasurable-- it was also rewarding. Our catechism teacher used to give us cards for every attendance. It has an equivalent points which the children can use to exchange with gifts on Christmas day. Besides, going to our church anytime of the day and night was a few lesiurely steps away. Our church, Saint Francis Xavier Parish Church of Nasugbu, Batangas was right in front of the house I grew up in. Our former house and the church still stand porch to porch till now, many decades later.

But my Mother--just like the first mother who I believed had stored enough prayers for us her 10 children in her short lifetime-- has not given up on me. Now she is making a very strong come back.

During the Last November 30 Christmas party of my Centering prayer group, a friend and elder in the Centering group, Agnes Chan, gifted me with the book "The LIFE of MARY" by Raphael Brown. It promises an intimate re-encounter between Mother Mary and Me. Another friend, Mayette Dolor handed me a laminated image of "Our Lady of Mary Mediatrix of all Grace. It fills up the void in my private altar in a prominent corner of my home office. Yesterday, Wednesday, December 5, I brought my daughter to her new station where she takes a convenient ride to Makati where she works. The station is located right inside the patio of the Marikina Church of the Immaculate Conception. The Holy Mass was ongoing. Right after the Mass was held the --lo and behold-- The NOvena to our Mother of Perpetual Help followed. Once again, I presented all my concerns, my dreams and everything else to my Mother. As if no time gap has separated me from my Mother.

This morning as I was mulling over writing this blog, yet another surprise from my Mother was waiting on the wings. It is an e-mail from a new-found mentor and friend, Bro. Ric de Leon, carrying the "Totus Tuus" prayer by Pope John Paul II.

Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea Tua sunt.

Accipio Te in mea omnia.

Praebe mihi cor Tuum, Maria.

I am all yours, and all I have is yours.

I welcome you into all my affairs and concerns.

Show me your heart, O Mary.

¯¯¯

Totus tuus sum, Maria,

Mater nostri Redemptoris.

Virgo Dei, Virgo pia,

Mater mundi Salvatoris.

I am all yours, Mary,

Mother of our Redeemer,

Virgin of God, Holy Virgin,

Mother of the Saviour of the world.

This Divine truth I now see. My Mother, Mother Mary--introduced to me by my mother, Perla de Veas Riñoza, and God's lasting and ever precious gift, has never left me. Mother Mary has always been dwelling in my psyche, and even if I abandon her ever so often, she will keep coming back home to me in my full consciousness. For after all, she has really never left and together with her Son, Jesus, will never leave me alone.

Manila Pen Seige Gone Kaput? Not Really

2007-12-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

Apparently, it was a pursuit of idealism that went pfft. But if only for the flicker of hope--though very short-lived--it generated among those longing for political reforms, the defiant stance by former Lieutenant,now inactive senator, Antonio Trillanes IV & Brigadier General Danilo Lim, was not entirely futile. This is not to condone what they did because no matter how noble their objectives were, lawlessness in their pursuit,can not be countenanced.

Trillanes & Lim bolted out of a Makati court hearing last November 29,2007, where they were being tried for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and February 2006 Mutiny respectively; followed by civilian supporters, foremeost of whom were former Vice-Pres Teofisto Guingona and former University of the Philippines President Francisco Nemenzo. They briskly walked and holed themselves up at the Makati Peninsula Hotel. As they did, they were calling for the people to reject President GMA and asking them to join them in Makati. Senator Trillanes had fiery passion in his eyes; Brig. Gen. Lim had power in what he repeatedly uttered: "Dissent without astion is consent."

The walk-out and seige of Manila Peninsulat Hotel appeared spontaneous and lacked coordination. Filipinos of common mind and stand were taken by surprise. Among them was ex-Ambassador Roy Señeres who would have joined them and said he felt bad that he was not informed of said move.

Bayan Muna Represnetative Satur Ocampo considered it naivete on the part of the two active dissenters to have carried out the seige without an organized broad support from the people.

For I while, I fantasized Trillanes and Lim doing a Ninoy for the cause of Filipino people's freedom from a widely-perceived to be a discredited and corrupt dispensation.

In 6 hours it looked like all was over. All dissenters were hauled to Bicutan detension in handcuffs, including the brave media people who have imbedded themselves in the middle of the action to the finish, after a government overkill which sent a battallion of soldiers and two war tank rambling into the Christmassy halls of Manila Peninsula.

But nothing is over. For as long as the people values democratic freedom and decent governance which majority of the Filipinos do, active dissent such as the Manila Pen seige may happen again and again when people are driven by utter helplessness and desperation.

Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) contributor and political analyst Amando Doronila has written the following warning:

The Peninsula insurrection may have collapsed, but the grievances that drove the rebels to desperate action remain smoldering underneath unless addressed seriously. XXXXXXXXXX There are more than enough grievances to feed plots inside the military to seize power. The more serious plotters have learned the lesson that they can't seize power by turning their guns at hotels. The next time around, the guns will be blazing at Malacañang. (PDI, Dec. 3,2007)

Can the Filipinos Shun Their President

2007-11-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

Time Magazine (December 3,2007) article "What Makes Us Good/Evil" talks of social shunning as one of the most powerful tools for enforcing group morals. Social shunning can occur spontaneously when a society of millions recoil at a member's act as what happened when, outraged by the 1995 acquittal of O.J. Simpson, the people turned its back on him, denying him work, expelling him from his country club, refusing him service in a restaurant.

"What Makes Us Good/Evil?" cites forms of shunning practiced by religious believers such as the Roman Catholics, Mennonites and Jehovah's Witnesses when they resort to excommunication or disfellowshipping.

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) with 13 Million members belonging mainly to Protestant Churces and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines of the predominantly Catholic nation, both decry the leadership of the Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as morally bankrupt. Catholic Archbishop Oscar Cruz was more specific when he said the President should resign because more than moral bankruptcy, the right term is amorality and that the President is so mired in corruption she can't get out of it anymore. According to Archbishop Cruz, moral regeneration under her is impossible, short of a miracle.

Can social shunning help forge the miracle that these concerned Filipinos are hoping for?

How Toxic is Jpepa?

2007-11-25T06:09:00.000-08:00

Presently being considered for ratification by Philippine Senate is the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa). Under the Philippine Constitution, its approval needs at least 2/3 votes of the Senate.

The biggest objection to it so far is its threat to Filipinos' health and environment since according to its critics, the treaty will allow the Japanese export of its toxic waste into the country. This fear is being assuaged by the Philippine Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Manuel Tehankee. Ambassador Tehankee asserts that Jpepa does not provide for export of waste products which violates international and local laws. According to him Japan has the technology to process its own waste.

The biggest benefit of Jpepa, says the ambassador is the resulting greater revenue of from Philippine Pesos: PhP6.5 to 110 Billions worth that will accrue from an improved economic activity. This according to him far outweighs the revenue losses of about PhP3.69 to 4.15 Billions due to products coming in tax free.

Former NEDA Director and University of the Philippines economist, Solita Monsod, in her statement made to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Nov. 23, 2007 also recommended Jpepa ratification by the Senate saying that: "The benefits of Jpepa far exceed its cost." According to Ms Monsod:

There's a lot at stake for the Philippines here. It is well to keep in mind at this point that Japan is our largest source of Official Development Assisstance (ODA), which is more than 10 times larger than the United States ODA to us; Japan is our second largest source of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs); our third largest trading partner with whom we now enjoy a trade surpplus; as well as our third largest source of tourists. Japan is also the larges employer of overseas Filipino workers in East and Southeast Asia (2005), accounting for roughly 12% of total OFW remittances. She has been on the whole, a steadfast, non-bullying development partner of the Philippines.

Despite these assurances, the Filipinos are not jumping up and down over Jpepa. It might be because, its toxicity is emanating from somewhere else. One is our collective horrible memory of World War II with the images of comfort women, Filipino patriots being bayonetted by the Japanese and more recently, Filipino women OFWs telling harrowing stories of abuse and violence perpetrated on them by their Japanese employers. On top of these is our nagging suspicion that Jpepa will benefit only the officials of the land into whose pockets most of the Billions will be stashed.

The Sumilao Farmers' Long March to Justice

2007-11-25T01:10:00.000-08:00

The Sumilao farmers are the indigenous Filipinos (Lumads) who were the early settlers on a piece of ancestral land in Sumilao, Bukidnon. 243.885 hectare-area of this ancestral land served as the Seat of Government of the Higaonons where the traditional paghusay and pamuhat were conducted by the Higaonon tribal council lead by Apo Manuagay Anlicao and Apo Mangganiahon Anlicao. The ancestral land is a flat agricultural terrain situated in the midst of Mt. Sayawan and Mt. Palaopao, and where Mt. Kitanglad can be seen from afar.

Then the Angeles came in 1930s. Forcibly evicting the Higaonons from their ancestral land, they converted the land into a cattle ranch. Later, the land was transferred to the Ilagans. In 1970s, the ancestral land was divided between 2 landowners: 99.885hectares to Salvador Carlos while the 144 hectares was transferred to Norberto Quisumbing. The ancestral land was eventually leased to Del Monte Philippines, Inc. (DMPI) for 10 years. At this time, the Higaonons became farmworkers of the land they once owned. ( Taken from the "Statement in Support of the Sumilao Farmers" of the Ateneo-based Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan.

Up till yesteday, many decades hence, they were still marching. They can not be stopped by two typhoons "Lando" & "Mina" from their march to Manila in protest of the loss of their land. They are hoping to reach Malacanang in 2 weeks if they will not be blown away into the abyss by strong winds.

As reported in the Nov. 25, Daily Inquirer, this particular march started in Barangay San Vicente in Sumilao on Oct. 10 and is expected to end on Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day. Making do with tattered raincoats, one of their supporters, Filipinas Palma of Balaod (Law) Mindanaw lamented: How many storms should they brave in order to attain justice?"

Indeed, how much longer do the Filipinos--workers, peasants, OFWs and everyone-- have to march, battered from all directions by the howling winds of greed, corruption, apathy--before they can come home?

Rape Victim Punished for Complaining

2007-11-24T05:27:00.000-08:00

During the trial of Congressman Jalosjos for the rape of an 11-year-old girl, the Judge coaxed the victim under examination by saying: "Look at me as you answer, why don't you look at me? I am also handsome." It was a very insensitive and demeaning remark showing the very low regard the Judge harbored against the rape victim. Nevermind the age of the victim in this case which also requires extra considerate treatment. In the trial of the rape of the Chiong sisters in Cebu, the Judge commented, upon being shown the pictures of the victims, " Yes, I can see, they are very plain-looking." The remark tended to agree with the defense attorney's insinuation that plain looking women can not be victims of rape. These mindless remarks punish the victims by their utter lack of insensitiviy and reflect very low regard for women victims.

A world-wide uproar is presently on-going over a November 21,2007 CNN report that in Saudi Arabia, a 19-year-old married woman who was abducted and brutally gang raped was meted a jail term of 6 months and 200 lashes for bringing out to the public the crime committed against her. Even the lawyer working for her defense was stripped of his license to practice law and her 24-year-old husband who is supportive of her fight for justice is being heavily ostracized. The revolting punishment has been affirmed by their supreme ruler, King Abdullah.

Until now, African women are subjected to circumcission procedure severing their clitoris to assure their fidelity to their husband.

These atrocious and barbaric treatment of women only show that women up till this modern times are treated as chattels or possessions and being looked down as sinful objects deserving of scorn and brutal punishment.

The case of the Saudi Arabian woman has jolted human rights groups all over the world. Even the very conservative Saudi society is being shaken at its patriarchal roots and awakened to its judicial system's need for serious reform.

Extreme irrationality and ultimate repulsivenes of any institution, system, government and the like,can also serve a good purpose. It can usher in the beginning of their end. Humanity can only take so much.The innate nobility of humankind will always break through apparently insurmountable odds.

Good Shepherd Nuns Demand Philippine President GMA to Step Down

2007-11-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

Giving life to the truism that every human concern is the concern of the Church, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd thru the call of Sr. Maureen Catabias,RGS, assert that the Arroyo administration has lost its moral ascendancy to govern the country. They are strongly demanding that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo step down.

The Religious of the Good Shepherd sounded their call in a letter to the editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (NOv. 22,2007) where they said partly:

Inspired and challenged by our mission to continue to be "Life-bearers with and for the Poor" and called to heed Micah 6:8 to "act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with our God," we believe that the common good and wellbeing and security of the Filipino people should be a great concern of the national leadership. The fact is the majority of the Filipinos are insecure and fearful in the midst of grinding poverty.

The Good Shepherd Sisters decry the recent bombing of the Batasan Pambansa which resulted in the loss of lives and severe injury to many on top the long list of suspicious events and scandalous deals and scams hounding the Arroyo administraion.

"Braveheart", Philippine Brand

2007-11-21T03:39:00.000-08:00

"Tell me, for I have never come across it; at what period in our history did our people stop fighting oppression? Armed with little more than an enduring heart, an ear for music, and a longing for justice without which there could never be harmony, they have for centuries pursued a dream that will not die: the dream of a noble society. They have been - they still are - deceived and deprived, defeated and defamed. Yet they struggle on, however humbling, mistaken or misguided their efforts may at times seem to us."

The above is a quote from "The Land and Martial Law" by Jose W. Diokno. Diokno, a Filipino lawyer, champion of human rights, street parliamentarian was arrested during the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos and held without charges for two years. Jose W. Diokno, a brave man believed in the steadfast courage of the Filipino soul. Many Filipinos believe he should have been a very good President.

In the midst of the present day widespread corruption and despotism in our country, the Filipino spirit which Diokno saw among his people may yet ignite the flame of passion for liberation from another era of economic, political and moral tyranny. Signs are a-borning. Young people with fresh ideas and pure intentions are getting involved in governance as shown in the last Barangay (smallest unit of government) elections. The not-so-young but with youthful idealism--like the Ang Kapatiran Party members-- going to the grassroots to conduct basic values and political education. The priest-on-leave and new Pampanga Governor-elect, Among Ed Panlilio, embarking in an audacious quest for honesty and pro-people, pro-God leadership. And many more... showing that the Filipinos are by nature, righteous, freedom-loving and a decent race.

Can the Philippines Be Saved?

2007-11-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday,I was "entertained" on the evening news by Davao Congressman Nograles and Davao's City Mayor, Mr. Duterte. They were exhanging verbal skirmishes on television. Their verbal duel was an offshoot of the suicide of Manette Amper due to poverty. She happened to be a constituent of the mayor. In closing, the "Honorable" Mayor called on his citymates not to render assistance to the "Honorable" Congressman in case he suffers a heart attack in his territory.

No wonder no one came to the aid of the poverty stricken family of Mannette. Their mayor has that depth of ill-will and the braggadocio to flaunt it.
How can there be room for compassion in his heart for the poor in his neighborhood?

The day before, another "Honorable" official, Senator Juan Pnce Enrile was lambasting another "Honorable" , the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Joe de Venecia. The Senator accussed JdV of gargantuan corruptions and cite several examples of the latter's corrupt involvement--NorthRail, ZTE projects among others--Enrile called JDV hypocrite who has no right to call for moral revolution and threatened to rat on him some more saying, "Tell the Speaker not to badmouth me... I know more things about him xxxxxxxxx and if I am forced to reveal them I don't know where he will pick himself up from. I know his true character."

I believe that many Filipinos also know the true character of the Senator and the true characters of many of our leaders-- foremost among them, our President. They have become so brazen in their corrupt practices, in their lying and cheating, in their greed and exercise of unbriddled power. They are openly insulting our intelligence and projecting the stance: "get us if you can". Last year, one congressman ally of the President haughtilly dismissed a protestor to their arrogance by retorting, "I am the congressman, you are just an spectator." The gall by which they are spilling their innards in public is indeed revolting.

Before I finally sink in despair over the apparent helplessness of our people, the Philippine Daily Inquirer was delivered with a full page manifesto calling for the immediate resignation of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Noli de Castro and for holding of Special ("SNAP") elections within 60 days.

The manifesto asserts: "Fellow Citizens, this corrupt government must go."
The 1st Whereas clause states:

Whereas, because of the numerous unresolved scandals involving the present administration, including but not limited to the "Hello Garci" Election controversy,the ZTE, Northrail Project, Diosdado Macapagal Highway scandals, the Joc-Joc Bolante Fertilizer scam, Jose Pidal Caper, hundreds of unresolved extra-judicial killings and the latest Malacanang bribery incident, Gloria Macapagal has completely lost her moral authority to govern this country.

Right. Our president has hit rock-bottom and most of her allies have been swirling around her in the pit of moral and political bankruptcy. Asking them to resign is one of the remaining options for the salvation of our country. We can not be saved with them. Their corruptions and bad examples have brought us all this low and pulling all of us down to damnation.

For a little doze of hope, I signed the online petition at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Snap/08 For unbounded hope that springs eternal, I pray to the Ruler of the universe.

Discord as Pains of Birthing

2007-11-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

Discordant voices fill our surroundings. And it is not only in the political arena --where discord is the prevalent norm--that wrangling pervades the air. It is not simple disagreement but wrackful disputes that are dividing our people.

During the burial of Mariannet, secular priests and religious were thrown into a squabble over the right of the "martyr of poverty" to be entitled to a funeral mass inside the Roman Catholic church. During the anticipated Mass yesterday, Nov. 10, 2007, at the Church of the Risen Christ at UP, Fr. JBoy gave a catechetical instruction on how the strict rule of the RC Church against those who commit suicide has been laxed especially in this instance when a child is involved. This morning, the Mass celebrant in our village was adamant against forgiving the child and condemned her to damnation.I did not have the chance to share with our Priest celebrant the essence of Philippine laws on children below 18 years of age. Under our civil law, a person below 18 is considered a child and thus not capable of giving consent; under the criminal law, he/she is exempted from criminal liability due to minority. How can our Priest convict Mariannet for sinfulness. If her age exempts her from civil and criminal liability, she can't be judged a sinner.

In another display of disunity among the Church heirarchy, 3 progressive Catholic Bishops are repeatedly calling for Pres. GMA to step down. 18 Bishops from Mindanao opposed their brothers' call and the latter were joined by some more from Luzon.Ironically, it is my elders in the Church from whom I used to hear that one of the last will of Jesus for us Christians is unity among His disciples and followers.

Just a few months ago, our cmmunity the Couples for Christ (CFC), in scandalous and dramatic media pronouncements called for a division of the house over apparent disagreements on how Gawad Kalinga--its most socially uplifting pro-poor ministry-- is being managed. A Council Statement dated August 20, 2007 formalized this division from top to bottom. It gave birth to another community also serving Christ's mission of bringing "God to the ends of the earth.

"A Community is Reborn"-- heralds the CFC newletter "Ugnayan"( July-August 2007. The birth brings about "new winds of change sweeping across our community", as stated in the article. It continues to lament,"We mourn the loss of friends and comrades-in-arms but most of all, we morn the loss of our unity."

The same article also gives us a consoling thought in the midst of these altercation and states:

It is said that whom the Lord calls, He first purifies and refines through the fires of trials and challenges. Our community has passed through such a fire of purification. With His grace, we have emerged, not perfect for that can never be, but refreshed and ready for whatever our Master would require us to do.

Even the discord among Church leaders can bring about a reinvigorated study of the rules and a re-internalization of one's roles and missions in our community, society and country. Looking at this discords as pains of birthing can inspire us to look at the future with hope rather than despair.

The discord and disharmony in our midst might as well bring about a divison of the house. Hopefully this labor pains can bring about the birth of a new era-- better than the one we live in now.

A Case Is Won, But Fight Goes On

2007-11-08T14:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Novevember 8, 2007, I received a Supreme Court order in a "bloody" inheritance case-- thicker blood is spilt in a case between blood relatives. For me as the lawyer, this one spells and smells victory with finality. It took all of 17 years of in-fighting among the heirs,--topped by the young step-mother, the surviving wife of the decesed whose estate has been the subject of the squabbe--the moneyed & powerful people who connived with the erring heirs, "blinded by the estate by the sea that gleams under the hot summer sun", the register of deeds and the lawyers, even the fake notaries who conspired in the fraudulent dispositon of big portions of the decedent's estate.

I recall the most poignant scene during the trial. During direct eexamination, when asked how the fraudulent acts of the other heirs affected her, the plaintiff who filed the case to recover the estate of her father replied: More than losing the estate, more than losing my share, the most painful part is losing my roots. How could I ever come home again, knowing that some of my brothers and sisters have sold our family homes, estate, heirloomss. That's a whole family memory of growing together in love & harmony, in sound family values and affection, going down the drain, with a few pieces of dirty silver. How could I come home to a memory tarnished by greed and betrayal?

It was beyond everyone's expectation that the Regional Trial Court, the Court of Appeals and all the way to the Supreme Court restored everything back to the estate, penalized the buyers in bad faith by forfeiting everything-- every cunning cent paid the scheming heirs, every dazzling piece of improvement done in bad faith.

In a divine twist of fortune, the erring heirs are blessed with the impending rcovery of what they had sold in betrayal of the estate. They just stood there, while the aggrtieved heirs fought in grief to restore the father's estate, the integrity of the family and the memory he built for his family.

Now, the aggrieved heirs who have found justice, are back to a muddled square one. The scheming heirs are expecting their share in the inheritance which they once sold without regards for the rights of the co-heirs. And now, they have turned more demanding. And vicious! The victorious heirs are ready to give it to them with charity and generosity, and in honor of their parents who have loved them all. But the cheating and selling heirs have been sharpening their tools and positioning themselves once again! The better, to extract more from the estate they had once bastardized.

I now propose to mediate. I know I would need no longer the positive human law but the wisdom of Solomon, in this new task. And the blessing of the Divine Mediator.

"Gir!,11, loses hope, hangs herself"

2007-11-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

This news item is in the frontpage of the Philippine Daily Inquirer today, Nov. 8, 2007. Mariannet Amper committed suicide losing hope "that her family would ever rise from poverty". Manette wiggled to his death during this season of tragicomedy when the rabid supporters and cohorts of our President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are fumbling their way and stumbling all over themselves covering her up from liability for the scandalous and messy distribution of oodles of money as cash gifts--in other words, bribes-- to congressmen and local government officials who trooped to Malacanang upon the invitation of the President herself.

Lingayen-Dagupan Catholic Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz called the suicide a "summit of desperation" and indicted each & everyone of us saying that if one girl goes hungry due to poverty, then we are all part of it.

In law school, I encountered a narrative on a Judge hearing another heartwrenching case and rendered a similar judgment. A child was being tried in his court for stealing a piece of bread.
Instead of punishing the child, the wise judge passed a hat for contribution as fines for the adults in the community. He pronounced that it would the fault of the whole community whenever a child would be forced to steal to assuage one's hunger.

Mea culpa!

Freedom to Be Free

2007-11-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

"Veronica Decides To Die" by Paulo Coelho, in lucid and smooth prose relays how 4 characters of different shades of "apparent" insanity found sanity inside the mental asylum. They did because in the house for the mentally sick, they stumbled upon the freedom to be free. Their trek to freedom led them to the road to their cure and sanity. This newfound freedom led them all the way out into the road back to the world of the "normal" and discovered a way of life more normal than most "normal individuals observe: being free to be themselves -- free from unreasonably high expectations, unshackled from norms & conventions of a rigid family, community and society, released from traditions which serve only as a link to the past and meant to assure continuity, right or wrong, rational or not.

Corollarily, it recognizes our freedom to commit mistakes-- even a lot of them-- as long as they are not fatal enough to destroy ourselves....... & I dare say, destroy others.

And more. Freedom that liberates gives hope and regains it again and again. It gives rest. According to Thomas Aquinas, exhaustion & sorrow can be alleviated with sleep, bath and a glass of wine.

Freedom brings about creative balance between conflicting forces, wants, desires. It creates a system of priorities and releases you from the agony of paralyzing dilemmas .

Ultimately, freedom is right. It is to be free to do what is right, to exercise one's belief, to keep one's faith, to worship one's God and pursue ones ideals.

Paralysis of a Mother's Heart

2007-11-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Nothing is impossible with the Divine Healer. But the sickness of the human heart seems to be the most difficult for the God of Love to cure & heal. In the same way that a physical heart that completely stops beating can no longer be revived except through a miracle like the raising of Lazarus from the dead; a human heart that has stopped beating for the beloved is a formidable challenge even to the Giver of Life.

A mother who has given her all to a dear son is under extreme anguish struggling to revive her heart through forgiveness. The dear son has turned vicious against his own mother upon finding new loves. He finally found a woman who has fuelled his viciousness further and in tandem the two has battered the hapless mother with their combined haughtiness. The mother was left with no choice but to leave them alone and get out of the harm's way.

Then the wedding day has been set. The mother can not see herself still part of it--after the disrespect and verbal abuse, even a curse the fiancee has thrown her way-- with the tolerance of the son.

Thinking of convention and tradition, the mother wants to walk down the aisle with the entourage. But she can not find any other meaningful reason behind being present during the wedding ceremony of the pair. The young pair who has treated her in the most cruel way she had never experienced before and hope would never come her way again, has taken away every reason for the mother to to celebrate with them. She simply wants the ceremony to be done with, so everyone can move on their separate ways.

The "separate lives" can be a fulfilling event. It can be some kind of a graduation into the next major threshold, with the son gaining independence, and starting on his own. After all, his parents have amply prepared him with a very excellent education from a top school and supported all his endeavours for growth and development. But a separation like this can slay a mother's heart into pieces and bring about numbness to the core of her motherly being.

The mother started pleading to the Divine Healer. Day & night she has been asking the maternal and paternal heart of God to make her own human heart right-- to make it beat once more with
forgiveness and affection for her son and for his new love.

Even God is having a very difficult time curing the paralysis of this mother's heart.

The Universal Healer.

2007-11-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

Our Divine Parent is very much involved in our day to day affair, including our good health. It goes without saying that we have to cooperate by recreating our good health through a healthy lifestyle--physically, morally and spiritually. This is true not only on the personal level. It can happen on all levels of collective existence-- community, national, universal. We can harness the power of prayer and God's life-force for individual and collective health.

Asking God to be my Divine Physician does not mean I distrust medical personnels and man-made healing machines - after all, the human intellect is God-given. It's just that I prefer to ask God first and be guided by the Holy Spirit on how to proceed with my journey towards cure & healing. Many times God does me the favor and takes my healing and those of my loved ones in
in His/Her Divine Hand. I experience miraculous cure and Divine Healing over and over again.

The vocation to cure is God-given. Doctors & medical personnels are trained not only to cure physical illnesses but also to heal psychical and emotional malaise. The fact that they are paid--even handsomely-- to do their work, does not at all detract from the fact that their work is not only scientific and secular. When they study to understand the intricate design of the human body and how to restore it in its normal & right conditions, they do study God's divine design for the highest form of creation. And they glorify the Creator!

With God's help, each one can "stand and walk" individually & collectively. And give glory to the Universal Healer.

God is Chipping at My Brain Tumour.

2007-11-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

Headache can occur without any warning, anytime. It does knock on my head--sometimes first on the line--in the morning, after a long and restful sleep. I conveniently refer to it as migraine. It gives me the sensation of round pebbles rubbing loose against each other and knocking down all the live cells all around within my head. Until they knock me down to sleep very still, with nary a move or tilt of my head, or the pebbles will knock me down convulsing in pain.

For someone like me who has been coddling grainy pebbles in my head and surviving it for decades, headache is no cause for alarm. Until last January 24, 2007, when a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) exposed a tiny alien growing from the membrane covering my brain located somewhere deep from my dura matter in between my brain hemisphere. It is a brain tumour medically described as intensely-enhancing well-marginated extra-axial mass involving the right posterior frontal parafalcine region, called meningioma and measuring 1.6 x 1.1 x1.5 cm. Said MRI/MRA also reveals sub-cortical white matters usually associated with migraine.

Now, my miracle--fully documented.

My neurosurgeon, having my best interest in mind, insisted I should have it removed within a maximum period of 2 months. He said it could grow big fast enough, press against the healthy brain cells and casuse damage which can be permanent or could take time to cure. All the neurologists and neurosurgeons I consulted were one in saying my tumour was likely to grow bigger. And the earlier I have it removed, the better. Not one of them said it could be neutralized except by means of gamma knife or radiation bombarding the tumour from the outside of my skull for approximately 7 hours. It could cause side effects like inflamation of the surrounding cells which will have to be managed with the use of steroids.

I kept my faith in the Divine Physician and placed myself at God's disposal. I prayed for Divine Guidance for the right direction towards a healing and cure that will not involve the use of man-made machine such as the gamma knife or the human hand in a brain surgery. It's not that I distrust medical advances and medical personnels. I believe they are God's gift and their vocation to heal is also God-given. But I preferred to first ask God to do me the favor.

God uses people to send us help. A dear friend, Agnes Chan who has always been God's generous instrument, led me to a healing priest, Fr. Efren (Momoy) Borromeo. Through Fr. Momoy, the Lord agreed with what I asked for in prayers. He told me not to undergo operation and invited me to his healing Masses every Monday morning at the Delaney Hall of the University of the Philippines at Diliman, Quezon City. Fr. Momoy is gifted by the Healing God with what can be called Divine MRI. As he laid his hand on my head he gave a description of my tumour which fits almost exactly with the MRI/MRA result.

On my fifth healing session, sometime mid- April 2007, Fr. Momoy declared my tumour already a scar. During the period of healing, I felt better & better, from head to toe. Even my migraine has become sweeter & lighter. When ever I sense it dawning, I down a cup of ice cream- pistacchio flavor- go to sleep and wake up really feeling pleasant and light.

The following Oct. 24 I finally had the courage to undergo another diagnosis with the same hospital, the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital which is located along Wilson Street at San Juan, Metro Manila. I enjoyed its MRI laboratory. It is clean & cool with friendly staff. Last October, their simple, yet elegant Christmas tree reflected a soft glow. It kept me focused in prayer and subdued my anxiety while waiting for my turn.

The comparative result shows my brain tumour has shrunk. The shrinkage is not much - 1 mm on three sides. From 1.6 cm. x 1.1cm x1.6 it is now 1.5cm x 1.0cm x 1.5 cm. But the fact that it has shrunk is for me, perfect miracle enough. The prognosis of all doctors was that it can stay the same or grow bigger, at a rate not one could predict with 100% accuracy.

Indeed, the Divine Healer is alive and present in all of us. Even my meningioma has become a a fleshy yet concrete proof of God's presence deep within my brain hemisphere. I can feel the Divine Hand chipping at it so lovingly in a way only my God can do.