The execution bruhahah....

  

Despite the useless protest and the demonstrations, the three convicted Filipino drug mule was executed yesterday. I understand  the grief and the anger the family went through. It is only natural .  I understand the emotions but the rest of the bruhahah… I can not.

Militant groups that are taking advantage of the crisis blame the government. They blame the president, they blame the DFA, they blame the clouds...these organizations purpose in life is to blame the government! 

Blaming the government is not only unfair, it is also insane because these drug couriers broke many of our very own laws, and, also, the government did not make them do what they did. In the name of Odin, these people are old enough to know what is right from wrong, what is good from bad and what is being stupid from being wise. They brought illegal drugs to China, and the amount of drugs they brought in was way beyond the limit deserving death penalty. In reality, they should have been executed several times over! Our government has spent too much resources on these criminals while there are innocent OFW's who are languishing in jails in the middle east and other countries .These OFWs deserve the allocation of our country's meager overseas workers fund much, much more than these drug mules. 

It’s unintelligent to think that they are the victims here. They, too, have victimized a lot of people.  Drug addiction is a curse. It destroys families. People who engage in the drug business directly or indirectly do more damage than serial killers. Drug addiction creates zombies, rapists, serial killers and congressmen. These Filipino mules contributed a lot to the drug problem of the Chinese. The Chinese, like us, is fighting a losing war against drug addiction. Their law maybe harsh to us, but it only shows how serious they take the drug problem. Unlike us. These drug mules were lucky the Chinese became communist because in ancient times the Chinese torture criminals through "death by the thousand cuts." The object is to keep the victim alive while his/her body is being  mutilated little by little till nothing is left but bones. Boy...

We have no right to question the Chinese; we should not expect the Chinese to give special treatment to the Filipinos drug mules because of their circumstances in life. Why would they do that? Do they execute Filipinos only? Are they executing innocent people? Are they executing the drug mules because they are poor? If one really thinks about it, the family of the executed drug couriers should apologize to the Chinese for the way their relatives have disrespected and violated Chinese laws! My gulay, the country should apologize because we even have a congressman in jail in China because of drugs. 

Harsh, but, anyway, these drug mules have fed their children and their relatives with poisoned money… Languishing in jails and on death row, how they wished they were in their provinces happily planting camotes while enjoying the simple things in life. Money earned the wrong way brings only grief...look at what happened to the unangelic Angelo Reyes and what is happening to the other generals. The money they stole is now haunting them. They could not even find peace!  Anyway...my BP is shooting up.

How can these drug couriers say they did not know anything? They were trained to swallow drugs. They received cash. They were paid. They were briefed on the modus operandi. They got allowances and hotel accommodations. They knew that they were dealing with syndicates. And the most damning thing about this was that some of them did the job over and over again until they were caught. Poverty is not an excuse. If every Filipino breaks the law in the name of poverty, there would be anarchy. Since when did poverty become a license to commit crime? Poverty…bahhhh. There are two ways to beat poverty: honest work and education.  Doing crime does not cure poverty; it aggravates it.  The sad thing is that some people only think they are poor.

We should be thankful to the Chinese, if you ask me, because they have been accommodating to the unreasonable demands of the emotional Filipinos.  And also, with number of Filipino drug couriers in their jails including a congressman, we should be thankful that the Chinese have not nuked as yet.

There are 70 or more drug mules on death penalty in China....I expect the number to rise becuase some Filipinos are simply incapable of learning...

Captain Barbell and Imortal

When I saw Imortals' first episode on channel 2, I knew that the supernatural series would be supernaturally inane. The series was copied from the Twilight Series movies and Vampire Diaries TV series.  Is creativity and originality dead in the Philippines? At least they could have contextualized the series by using our very own myths about night creatures. My suggestion is “Aswangs versus Tibalangs.” At least, the concept is Filipino.

 Who cares anyway because we have the “Kapuso” versus the “Kapamilya”. A war much worse than the vampires versus werewolves.

The old new superhero series on channel 7 “Captain Barbell” is also a direct, facsimile and plagiarized photocopy of the US TV series Smallville. The only thing original in this series is the networks originality in pirating.  The superhero creator Mars Ravelo is the master of copying the American superheroes, yet there are people who have the nerve to nominate him as a national artist for graphic arts. I’m sorry, but copying other people’s ideas is not one of the criteria for national artist.

I sometimes think that the TV networks are banking on the theory that most Filipinos are not intelligent and that most of us do not think. I saw a scene from a Robin Padilla series and I was shocked that the scene was a tagalized version of the kidnapping scene in the Liam Neeson movie “Taken.” My daughter noticed this too, and she laughed. They must have thought that since the movie was not locally screened, it would not matter.

This is not good. There was a very big bruhaha when Manny Pangilinan gave a speech at an Ateneo Graduation. The audience realized that what they were hearing were other people's reworded speech. Of course Pangilinan took responsibility for the specch and even offered to resign as the Chairman of Ateneo's Board of Trustees. 

What I'm trying to say is, we have intellectual property rights. Of course, there are ways to cheat the laws...by rewording or rearranging... or even translating. I don't know because I ma not an expert... yet....

I think that its time…oooopppssss…Captain Barbell na pala….manunuood pa ako!

Canteen Food

During recess, I saw my pupils eating. Again, out of curiosity, I asked them what their favorite canteen foods were.

Their top five answers were:

5. Puto seko.

There are two ways to eat puto seko. One is to chew and swallow.. But for me, the best way to eat puto seko is to melt it in your mouth.

4. Crackers (Chippy, Marty’s Cracklings, etc.)

During my grade school days, we did not have "american" crackers; we have Mang Kepwengs. There were branded crackers but the popular crackers were the chicharong haba, bilog, baboy and bulaklak.

3. Ice Candy

There are three ways of eating ice candy. One is by eating it. Another is by sucking the juice and the food color until it becomes ordinary ice. The leukemiad ice is then used as projectiles to hit each other, or they are simply thrown away..  The best way to enjoy ice candy is to pound the ice candy with your palm until it becomes…like flavored shaved ice.

2. Soft Ice Cream

Of course, everybody loves ice cream. When I was a pupil, there was dirty ice cream, ice drop, and pinipig.  Now, the canteen has an ice cream machine (a concessionaire, I think) which is good because the quality and the cleanliness (or is it hygiene?) of the ice cream is assured..

1. Scrumble.

A few years back, scramble was regarded as dirty food because it was sold by ambulant vendors. But today, the school has a kiosk selling scrumble with assorted toppings and flavor to choose from. Also, the cup is now printed with eye catching designs.

Many things have changed and improved but there are still many traditional foods in the school canteen that have remained the same. The soup is still there, bread, beans, candy etc.

What I missed are the singkamas and mangga with bagoong, bibingka, maja etc. I also missed native candies like taeng kalabaw, tira-tira, sampalok,  etc. Taeng kalabaw and Tira-tira and most of our native candies are, I think,   already extinct.

Filipino Logic

According to Dr. Timbreza,  the following are what makes Filipino Logic (mode of reasoning to differentiate from the formal study of reasoning) distinct and unique.

1. It is metaphorical rather than literal in its formulations. Filipinos have not devised a system of definition. Instead, they use connotative to clarify their meanings. In effect they use metaphors, analogies, similes etc.

2. It is concrete rather than abstract.

3. It is personal rather than impersonal. hence often subjective and psychological. Filipino reasoning is person-and family- oriented.

4. It is practical and socio-ethical rather than theoretical and cognitive, Filipino thinking is generally moralistic. It pertains more to human relationships and moral actions than to metaphysical speculations. (Maybe one of the reasons why there are Filipino philosophers who doubted whether there could be a Filipino philosophy because we generally have no fancy notions about reality unlike the west whose pilosophies are abstract and explores areas like ontology, cosmology, and all the other-ologies.)

5. It tends to be particular than universal.

6.It is more rhetorical and functional than logical and empirical.

7. It is more theological.

Generally speaking, all these attributes of Filipino logic would make it illogical or non-logical compared to western logic. The way we reason violates almost all the rules of correct reasoning (i.e. formal logic), but it does not in nay way make our thinking invalid as compared to the western systems because however illogocial or non logical it may seem, our reasoning works for us-abstraction will not do us any good, we are a practical people.

Ligot arrested

I just heard from the news that General Ligot was arrested by the senate sergeant-at-arms. He was arrested because the senators were fed up with his stone walling. This time the senators are giving Ligot a taste of his own medicine; they are stone walling him, literally, in the senate detention center.

I just hope that Ligot would tell the truth so that the other generals involved with conversions could be persecuted with the full force of the law. Of course, this is easier said than done considering the depth, the height and the width of conspiracy of corruption in the AFP. Also Ligot and his wife would have to return their loot, which they will not do. I wonder, at their age, how are they going to spend all that money. How are they going to live in all those houses? Now that Ligot is detained in a 4x7 room without a window with the possibility of his wife joining him there, and the possibility that they could be there indefinitely, I wonder if there is even an iota of remorse in the couple's heart. I wonder if they could even look at their grandchildren; I wonder if they even thought about their future. Will these children appreciate the security that stolen money will provide for them? I wonder if all that stolen money is worth it. Doesn't matter anyway because the Filipinos have short memories.

If is a study will be done on how many soldiers died because of this couple's thievery, the figure could justify filing a case for genocide against Ligot and his wife.

On the other hand, I am also wondering why the spotlight is on Ligot when the primary reason for the senate investigations was the anomalously scandalous and scandalously anomalous plea bargaining agreement between the office of the ombudsman and the former AFP comptroller General Garcia.

What is happening to the carnapping syndicate case? (I'm just asking because it seems  that almost all the big headlines have been forgotten because of Ligot his limot.)

Sci-Fi

I was in pre-school when I fell in love with sci-fi. My father was watching a movie about a miniature saucer submarine that was injected into a person's blood stream. The idea that a submarine could be miniaturized to a size of a microbe astounded me.  I was awed by the special effects of the movie that I had nightmares for many nights. I never forgot the movie. I was already in my twenties when I found out that the title of the movie was "Fantastic Voyage." Thanks to a book adaption by Isaac Asimov.

Also, I grew up watching series like "Space 1999", "Buck Rogers", "Battlestar Galactica", "Jason and the Star Commands"...I also read Jules Verne, Allan Dean Foster, Ray Bradbury, Arthus Clarke, etc. Since then I was hooked on sci-fi movies and books.

What makes reading sci-fi different from other literatures is its vision of tomorrow. It prepares the reader to the possibilities of what could be and what will be. To sci-fi readers, technological advances do not and would not surprise them because they are well prepared to accept and adapt to it-they already had some very advanced ideas of the possibilities of what the future could be.

Sci-fi readers do not only imagine what they are reading about, but they also speculate about it, participating with it. It is not about predicting what the future may look like, but it is anticipating how the future could look like. Nothing is impossible. There’s nothing new. Everything that has been invented and discovered, and could be invented and discovered, had been invented and discovered in science fiction. Science fiction readers are not expecting anything new; they are only waiting for the realization of these “new.” Computers have long been invented in sic-fi literatures; genetics and eugenics, space exploration… time travel, etc. The science and the technology may not the same as it was realized today, or it may not be possible as of today, but the ideas and the speculations are already there. There is prophetic vision involved; the possibilities are exciting. Realize that some of today’s scientific and technological advances have even surpassed some of the predictions of yesterday’s science fiction.

Although most sci-fi stories are about the future, science and technology, speculative application of natural laws, etc., still the human aspect of the genre is well explored. How do we respond to changes? What do we do if we suddenly find out that there are aliens? How do we deal with invasion?  How about time travel? How do we respond to these? How about ethics? Sci-fi readers have explored these questions, already.

I'm sleepy...I will continue when I have the time.

Impeachment...Reality TV

I am interested in Ombudsman Mercedita (No Mercy for Merci) Gutierrez's impeachment trial. If (or when) the articles of impeachment is transmitted to the senate, and the senate is convened as jury, this will the second time that a live televised impeachment trial will be witnessed by the Filipinos. The first one was the Estrada impeachment that resulted to the so called EDSA 2 revolution that resulted to GMA becoming president that resulted in many controversies and major, major corruption issues to which the impending Merci impeachment was just one of the corollaries.

I followed Estrada’s impeachment trial from Speaker Villar’s dramatic transmission of the articles of impeachment to the senate up to the anticlimactic walk out of the private prosecutors. The former president’s impeachment caught the country’s attention and imagination. It was avidly monitored by almost all the Filipinos. When I was working as a copier operator at a bank in Ayala, the office TV was tuned in to the trial. Even the air-conditioned bus plying EDSA had their TV’s monitoring the drama in the senate. The impeachment trial's TV ratings even beat some top rating soap operas’.

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I’m interested in the impeachment because I know that it would be entertaining like Estrada’s impeachment. I could still remember how Sergio Apostol made everybody laugh every time he said, “your wetness, your honor”, or, how Clarissa Ocampo told Justice Serafin Cuevas that she does not eat juice.  Estrada’s televised impeachment trial showed real life courtroom drama in the Philippines ala L.A. Law and the Practice. I bet it inspired a lot of the youth to take up law…in their dreams. Although Merci's possible impeachment may not be as big as the former president's, but still the media hype could arouse the people's interest.

I also learned Latin words like, “subpoena deuces tecum”, “subpoena deuces testificandum” that I sometimes think I could now challenge some albularyo with spell casting and exorcism. I also witnessed how top lawyers like the Fortun brothers conduct their courtroom examinations and how the prosecutors led by Joker Arroyo present their arguments.

I do not care about the outcome because whatever happens, the rotten egg would only be replaced by another rotten egg that is friendly with Malacanang.
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 I am excited about the trial because I know a lot of people will be making a fool of themselves. What is a better reality TV show than this? (The impending impeachment, I mean)

   

Top 10 reasons why my pupils go to church

We were supposed to have our graduation practice this morning, but it was postponed till the afternoon to give way to the pre-school department's graduation practice. We went back to the classroom. We had a lot of time to do nothing. So, the class joker was busy annoying his classmates. One of my pupils told us that the reason why John, the class joker, was behaving like a rabid dog was that he had never been to church, ever. (He was possessed by an evil spirit). Out of the blue and out of curiosity, I asked my pupils their reason/s for going to church.

I listed their top 10 answers:

10 Para makakain ng ostia (To eat communion wafer)

It was the boys who answered this. The whole class was laughing. The answer may sound sacrilegious but what could I expect, they were children. They did not know the meaning of transubstantiation and explaining to them the Catholic Church’s teachings on communion would only confound them.

It’s not different from the protestants here in the Philippines who agreed to be baptized so that they could go swimming.

That’s why it’s better for churches to baptize their converts in their own baptistery or in a drum.

Or better yet, formulate a sacrament that their male members and converts will remember with earnestness and solemnity…like, adult circumcision….ouch!

9. Para makakain ng epalog. (To eat breaded quail eggs)

One of the reasons why children enjoy going to church is the food: barquillos, kakanin, suman…Also, after the mass, their families have lunch at Jollibee or McDonalds.

Toys, too, are good reasons why children go to church, paper mache horses, balloons, trinkets…the Antipolo submachine-gun (Its a toy gun made from balsa wood that has a crank. If the crank is turned clockwise it produces a popping sound akin to a Russian AK 47, and if it is cranked counterclockwise, it produces a rattatat sound similar to that of an American M16.)

8. Para magkaload. (To get prepaid credits for my celphone)

I raised an eyebrow and asked, “What is the connection between going to church and celphone prepaid credits?” They explained that their parents motivate them to go to church by rewarding them with prepaid credits.

Good idea! I motivate my daughter by threatening her with suspension of internet privileges for a month if she does not attend church. I think these are better motivations than my parents’.

When I was young, my parents use a different tact: they threatened me with being left behind if ever rapture comes. It was also their prediction that rapture may come during Sunday mornings. (I love my parents! We all have our own ways of motivating our children to go to church. Its just that they like threatening me with being left behind)

7. Simba-tambay. (Loitering in the church)

Self-explanatory. Even adults do this, they loiter in church, and they eat in the church during the service...

6. Para mapayuhan (To hear counsel)

Generally, the top five, the “mature answers” are from the girls. They go to church to hear mass and maybe to hear counsel from the priest or the pastor’s sermon.

5. Para makinig sa pari (to listen to the priest)

We are getting warm here. They listen to the sermons.

4. Para madagadagan ang pananampalataya (For faith to increase)

It’s a good thing that some of my pupils think that going to church increases their faith. A bit legalistic, but the church the best place where we are edifed.

3. Para magpasalamat (To give thanks)

This answer elicited boos and hallelujahs from the boys.But they all knew this is one of the best reasons why they should go to church.

2. Para mabawasan ang kasalanan (For the reduction of sins)

Many Filipinos believe that going to church automatically reduces one's sins.

And the number 1 reason why my pupils go to church, about 25 percent of my 44 pupils answered this:

1. Ewan ko (I don’t know)
An honest answer. Children do not take their religion seriously and, maybe, that’s the good thing about them. They do not have prejudices.

Ewan ko…good answer because sometimes I myself, do not know the reason why I go to church! Maybe the reason why I go to church is because I am one of the preachers!

It is the test of good religion if you can joke about it-G.K. Chesterton

Walk...talk...

For two weeks, I was not able to go walking because I was sick. So, this afternoon, after work, I got back to my usual afternoon routine: walking. I walk everyday for an hour, which is about 5-8 kilometers, depends on how fast I walk. I like walking because aside from the exercise, I also got to observe people, which is difficult to do if I am, running. Well…anyway, here are some of my observations.

• 1. The overweight and the obese run the hardest. I see them almost everyday sweating, their extra baggage bouncing up and down and sometimes sideways, too, thinking they could lose all that fat instantly. (I have extra fats too!)I usually give them a day or two. Chances are, I would not see them again. Sometimes they come back to try again, but they usually don’t. I can only imagine their pains and aches when they wake up in the morning. Ouuuchhhh…sometimes I am tempted to tell them to first try walking for a month. It is better to walk for ten minutes a day that to run intermittently. Running is not good for the overweight and the obese, it could damage the ligaments (or whatever they call the soft matter that acts as shock absorbers between the joints) in their knees and feet.
  

• 2. Joggers who run with their pet dogs have more fun. They play catch with their dogs. The dog runs after them, or they run after the dogs. I tried this once when our Labrador was still alive and it was fun. Unfortunately, when the Labrador got tired, I had to carry it home. It was exhausting because the Labrador was not a small dog. And the other thing, people looked at me suspiciously…I could only imagine what they were thinking. Not to mention the dog sh…I had to watch out for. ..Labradors have big poopooo.

• 3. I once saw a family in a tricycle with bikes tied on its roof. I knew that the last thing that they would do was to exercise, they were there for a picnic. They did some warm up and stretching routine. The parents then jogged. The kids pedaling behind them on their bicycles laughing. After a few laps, they brought out the food and then ate. They gained more than what they have lost…but at least they had quality time.

• 4. Lovers are fun to watch. They are sweet, holding hands while running or walking. I sometimes do this with my wife, holding hands while walking, but after a few laps, she always had to take a pee. So, I discourage her to come with me walking. I tell her to just go to the gym and do her work out there. We are not that young anymore...but seeing teen agers and married young couples jogging or walking together...sweet....couples who exercise together stay together...(sorry Fr. Peyton).
  

• 5. Stroke victims. I try not to look at them, but I can’t help it. Something in my head kept telling that it is better to exercise now than to exercise when I already suffered a stroke. I can’t help it. Looking at the stroke victims trying their best to walk, dragging their invalid leg, an arm hanging limply, makes me conscious of my health. To think that some of them are my age. Sad but true.
  

Walking works for me because it’s the only exercise I can do regularly. It is cheap, no equipment necessary and its not that painful. Also, walking promotes mental activity. My favorite philosopher Nietzsche once said, “All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” Or, in my case, all inane thoughts are conceived by walking!

Tragedies, prophecies...meanderings...

I have been hearing a lot about prophecies. Is the world going to end?Is this the apocalyptic fulfillment of the blah, blah, blah…This is understandable with what is happening in the world today, one could surmise that the apocalypse is coming, but if such is the case…hmmm just relax and enjoy.

We, humanity, have been expecting the end of the world for a thousand years now. Great tragedies have struck civilizations with regularity, wars, deaths, destructions…these are normal phenomenon that people of long ago accepted with surrender and also with hope. Civilizations vanished, nations exterminated, cities swallowed by volcanic eruptions, earth quakes and tidal waves have occurred regularly in our history.

During the middle ages, when the bubonic plague almost wiped out Europe killing 6o percent of its population, a staggering almost 100 million deaths, though it took almost 150 years to recover, yet, humanity survived-we better suited for survival than rats and cockroaches. The two world wars is also another example of tragedies that almost wiped us out, but still we are here. The list of catastrophes goes on.

Catastrophes happen and will continue to happen and no prophecy could accurately predict them, nothing we could about it. Of course, today prophecies (especially the Mayans the Biblical ones) are being used to scare the hell out of everyone into submission to one faith or to another. (To tell the truth we have enough prophecies to last us a lifetime, and more prophets coming out claiming divine authority is divinely superfluous.)

But behind it all, behind every prophecy, are hope encapsulated. Prophecies are expressions of helplessness in times of great tribulation, and also they are expressions of redemption hoped for. They inspire hope for the future. It is common knowledge among interpreters of ancient books ,especially the Bible, that most prophecies were written after the actual events that the prophets were prophesying about, a posteriori, so to speak. So, the purposes of prophecies are, in reality, more of a hindsight than a foresight, to prepare, to encourage and; so to speak, not to scare, or to scare. Prophecies are something more…they contain wisdom. A distillation of, may I say, scientific observations of their time. Especially the ancients civilizations who have mastered their astronomy and science, like the Mayans and the Aztecs.

Of course whenever tragedies struck, the occults are conculted. Numerology practitioners suddenly start to have authorities, and so are the astrologers, entrails readers etc... These things are nothing more than efforts to seek solace . Explanations are needed, comfort is wanted. But unfortunately, they are nothing more than psychological placebos.

Anyway…will the world end tomorrow? As Hume said: “That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction, than the affirmation, that it will rise.”

What in the world was Hume saying? He was simply saying,” anything could happen!”

A zen parable about silence

Four monks decided to meditate silently without speaking for two weeks. By nightfall on the first day, the candle began to flicker and then went out. The first monk said, "Oh, no! The candle is out." The second monk said, "Aren't we not suppose to talk?" The third monk said, "Why must you two break the silence?" The fourth monk laughed and said, "Ha! I'm the only one who didn't speak."

Kuhn's notion of "incommensurability"

Thomas Kuhn, a philosopher of science, who popularized the term "paradigm shift" i.e. there are periods of conflict in history when a paradigm (model) fails to provide adequate models for phenomenon, a new and more powerful explanatory force or a paradigm shift takes place. Some identified paradigm shift in history which created new paradigms or a revolution in thinking is Copernicus' heliocentric theory which replaced the Ptolemaic theory that the sun revolves around the earth. Also Einstein's replacement of Newton's theory of gravity and motion.

Kuhn also popularized the notion of 'incommensurability' which defied the notion that science is on an advancing path of progress towards ultimate truth. According to Kuhn, the rejection of a previous paradigm in favour of a completely different one rules out the possibility of comparison. Kuhn argues that the scientists view of the world is so radically altered by the acceptance of a new paradigm that the old and new are quantitatively and qualitatively incomparable. Kuhn argues that scientists operating at different historical periods with different paradigms live in a psychologically different worlds.

Kuhn says that after Copernicus, astronomers lived in a different worlds. His idea of the world is not the same world as Copernicus, for when Ptolemy observes the sun he observes an object that movesa round the earth, whereas Copernicus sees the central star of the solar system.

This subjectivism in science makes the idea of absolute truth a questionable notion, and according to Kuhn, one we can do without. Since it is impossible to investigate the nature of reality without operating with some paradigm, or other, we should see science as the evolution of ideas in response to the world.

Kuhn compared the evolution of an organism to an evolution of ideas towards some ultimate truths. (Philosophy 100 essential thinkers)

Footprints

I woke up this morning, and I was surprised because there were footprints in the house.

It was still dark, and I wasn’t wearing my eyeglasses, so I didn’t suspect anything. I thought that the glitters that my daughter was working with last night got stuck on her feet making the footprints. Idid not realized that someone had broken in the house while we were sleeping until my wife came down and asked me why the floor was muddied.

When I looked closer, I noticed that the footprints were made by muddy feet. I also noticed that footprints were small, maybe made by a child or a small person's feet. I followed the footprints to the TV where I put the digicam; the camera was gone. I then went to my study table where I put my wallet; my wallet was gone, and so was my mp3 player. My daughter's allowance, my wifes cash and pieces of jewelry were aslo taken. I also found out that the footprints entered my daughter’s room. That scared me.

My daughter’s bag was also missing. The thief got all the small items he could carry and then put them in my daughter’s bag and then took off. The amount of money taken was not that much, but what made me angry were the ID’s and atms in my wallet. I did not report to work because I had to file affidavit of losses for all of them. My whole day was wasted.

But the worst thing that happened was that we lost the feeling of security. We felt violated. My wife said she can’t sleep anymore.

My neighbors used to play cards near our gate, and whenever they were there I felt secured. But these last few days the poker table moved to another neighbor’s house. My security guards were not on duty. 

Anyway, the neighbors were also concerned because this could also happen to them.

I noticed that there were no tambays in the neighborhood today. I d not want to specualte...

Before, I had insomnia. I couldn’t sleep until two or three in the morning. But now that my insomnia was cured, this happened.

Our dog, Pampam...she's not doing her job! I'm thinking of buying a rottweiler or a german shepherd...naaaaa...too expensive to keep.

nuke

The nuclear reactor that exploded yesterday in Japan is a danger to us. Radiation leaks are containable and can be confined in a local area, but a nuclear explosion is something else. Though our government is giving us assurances that we will not be affected, still the threat of radiation being carried by the wind is still there. Who knows where the wind may blow next. Also, the threat of another explosion is imminent.

Although the Japanese authorities may give assurances that the situation is under control, the fact that the 7th US Navy Carrier Battle Group, which is helping in the rescue operation, kept a safe distance from the nuclear plant, shows that they must be expecting the worst.

The Japanese have had a bad experience with radiation. Japan is the only country that became victim of atomic bombings during the second world war. The memory of the sufferings due ro radiation poisoning is still fresh in their minds.

The Japanese are a very tough people. They are disciplined and a resilient. They are quite, perhaps the most, prepared country to deal with disasters especially earthquakes it just that the magnitude of this earthquake is beyond their current technology to deal with.

They will get over this disaster stronger and more prepared than ever.

Nuclear Leak

I have received many texts warning me about the nuclear leak after explosions rocked a nuclear power plant damaged by the tsunami last Friday. Text like these, especially coming from concerned friends, can really be worrying. Fortunately, the government released official statements assuring us that the radiation leakage was so minimal that it would not reach the Philippines.

My daughter was also concerned because her teacher also received the text. I assured my daughter that if ever nuclear radiation would reach the Philippines, we would not be able to do anything about it. "Why?" She asked me. "Radiation could pass through walls, could pass through almost anything. The only material that I know that could stop radiation is lead. We do not have lead suits nor is our house lined with lead. So, we would not be able to do anything. If ever we would be irradiated, just smile and continue doing what you are doing."

In 1986 we also had this scare when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded due to an overload. I heard the news on TV. I remember I was taking a bath in the rain and then running back in the house because I was afraid of the radiation. My friends were puzzled. I told them about the chernobyl exlosion. They did not care. Anyway, even though there was fear that the radiation could reach the atmosphere producing radio active rain, it did not happen. Though definitely, it did scare some of us.

My pupils were asking if this is the end of the world...I always answer, "its not. " Humanity had survived worst disasters than these. I like Martin Luther's attitude about the end of times. When he was asked what he would do if Armageddon comes, to which Luther replied, "I will plant tress."

Time like these, during disasters, we are awakened with a sense of helplessness.... a sense of proportion of who we are and what our limitations are, which we sometimes forget because of our advancemes in the sciences and in technology.

This is not the end of the world. I believe humanity will go on to reach the stars….

Rest...vacation...praching...

Sometimes I wonder if preaching is doing any good to anyone. Its not that I have anything against preaching, it’s just that sometimes I feel tired doing it. Maybe it’s because I'm teaching now. Before, when I was not this occupied, I always look forward for my preaching schedule, but now...maybe it’s because everyday at school, I always feel that I am preaching instead of teaching, or in the church I sometimes feel like I’m teaching and not preaching...confusing.

One thing about preaching is I always have the feeling of being preached upon by myself because I feel that I cannot live up to what I’m preaching. Well, maybe nobody can live up to because God’s ideal is perfection. I have to remind myself that I am able to do things only because of God’s grace. Any shortcomings, it is God’s grace who will fill it up.

I am tired of teaching. I need silence and rest. Classroom noise is driving me nuts. I need to have a vacation and I want it now! Na…. just anticipating summer vacation. There are two weeks more before the end of classes, and I’m already imagining of the rest and recuperation that two months of summer vacation will do to me. I’m already planning to have a few days vacation in Baguio and maybe a week or two in Quezon Province with my wife’s family. Of course everything depends whether I could afford these vacations.

I miss the province. I miss the fresh air especially in Quezon because my in laws live near the sea. I also miss the mangoes and the fresh vegetables, also , the people are nice there, too. I also missed the silence. Especially during the night where the only noise I can hear are the insects "playing their soporific orchestra".

I also like to go around town riding in my briother in law's tricycle. Also I miss my nephews and nieces. Gulay....i am already in vacation mode.

Anyway…two weeks is a short time to wait.

Filipino Philosophy Today

I am in the (or about) the middle of reading Florentino T. Timbreza's book "Filipino Philosophy Today." I am beginning to understand the challenge of the task of the articulation of the fragments of Filipino Philosophy/ies. Through the comparative analysis of the local sayings, adages, and proverbs with teachings of well known eastern and western philosophers, Timbreza is establishing that the Filipinos are, as well, naturally endowed with the capacity to reflect about causality, morality and existence etc. as the more organized thoughts of other sages. Through his comparative study of the wisdoms (sayings, adages, etc.) in the different languages in the Philippines, he is trying (or proving) the existence of fragmented but unifiable or even organizable platform for the development of a future possibility of discourses and dialogs of philosophy in the Philippine setting.

Although it is well known fact that Filipinos, as observed in our languages, is not an abstract thinking people, yet our philosophy, which , according to Timbreza is more of a philosophy of life than a philosophy of being, has space for conceptual pursue of abstraction in the articulation of our philosophy/ies. It is here I think that the study of Filipino Philosophy is important. Although our language is not suited for abstract thinking yet there is possibility that, through, reflection and dialog, we may be able to discover discourses in the higher pursue of thinking by enriching or establishing our language/s with meanings that may someday be capable of expressing higher and more abstract philosophical reflections. Other Filipino philosophers have been doing this endeavor, of course, and it is bearing fruits (e.g. the exploration of the philosophy of"meron," the philosophy of "bahala na"), there is still a lot to explore.

The possibilities are encouraging as long as our thinkers and future thinkers will not be overwhelmed by the western and eastern philosophy and philosophers. As shown by Timbreza, the teachings of the eastern sages up the pessimistic outlook of Schopenhauer, to the nihilism of Nietszche have parallels in our local wisdoms. This only proves that there is a parallel development, or may I say, revelation of wisdom in the world-or the logos. The task is not to find originality in Filipino thought, for the search for originality will only lead to nowhere, the task is to find the context from which the philosophy came-the psyche, and how it is articulated in the Filipino context.

The search for Filipino philosophy is not just a matter of nationalism and pride. I think one of the most important values of finding a Filipino philosophy/ies is that we are also searching for the psychology of the Filipinos. We are searching for our soul. How we think? What do we think? What do we think about? Second, the search is important because we cannot establish a true Filipino philosophical discourses and even philosophical dialogs with other philosophies if we do not have our own to work from. Third is apprehensibility, a Filipino philosophy will naturally be understandable and explorable by the Filipinos.

Again, the task is not in finding originality in Filipino thought, that task is in finding that we have a philosophy or philosophies that developed from our own being.

Anyway, I’m still reading the book.

Sermon Outline: We may be able to give comfort...

We may be able to give comfort...


2Co 1:4 Who gives us comfort in all our troubles, so that we may be able to give comfort to others who are in trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

As Christians, we are to comfort one another. It is the fulfillment of the law of Christ (Gal 6:2) The Bible tells us it is important that we comfort and encourage one another in faith so that we may strengthen each other against sin, to strengthen one another in the service of our Lord , to strengthen one another in helping carry one another's burdens, to strengthen one another in carrying one's own burdens, and to strengthen one another in worship.

I. Comfort and encouragement comes from God.

We cannot comfort another if the spirit of God is not in us. Yes, we can say good words but more or else it is simply flattering if it is motivated by the love of God. We begin with the acknowledgment that its is God who provides comfort. That it is our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who had love for us, has given us eternal comfort and good hope through grace. It is God who gives us comfort and strength in everything we do. (2 Th 2:16-17)

But before we can encourage others, we must first be filled with the encouragement of Christ, through his grace.

II. Encouraging others requires praying.

The first step in encouraging others is to offer the persons that we want to encourage in prayer to our Lord. Paul wrote to James: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. St. paul also wrote many times the churches asking for their prayers, for their prayers for the saints in the churches is what sustained Paul in his missions to the gentiles. "Now I make request to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you will be working together with me in your prayers to God for me (Rom 15:30 )."

Who do you think needs comfort, a friend, a family? Mention their names in your prayers. Ask God first for help. A friend in grief, mention his/her name in your prayers. A family with a heavy load, mention his/her name in your prayers. Words of prayer are more powerful than comforting words. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." (Jas 5:15)


III. Encourage others by how we live our lives.

Even if we recognize that comfort and encouragement come from God, even if we pray without ceasing, but if the grace of God is not evident in our lives, how can we comfort others. We cannot. We must, in our lives, show that we have the grace of God. That we are assured. That we have confidence in God. This does not mean that we have to be loud or "over religious". It simply means living a life that reflects God's serenity. That we reflect hope and assurance in God's promises. Paul in his letter James tells us:

But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas. Because if any man is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a glass; For after looking at himself he goes away, and in a short time he has no memory of what he was like. (Jas. 1: 22 ff.)

Paul also tells us;

I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me. (Gal. 2:20).

To be a comfort to others, we must have a comfortable relationship with God.

4. The comfort of God overflow through us.

We are a source of encouragement for others. As Christians, God encourages us to share burdens. (Gal 6:2)

We can comfort others through words of affirmations. Words that can uplift saddened hearts. Words that can remind that God cares and that we too, cares.

We can comfort others through our charity. Christian giving is guided by love. It is not an act of compulsion nor is it an act of impulse but rather it is an act that comes from desire to share blessings especially if God has given so much for us, in material things, talent, or spiritual gift, or faith (remember the beggar who gave her last cent!). The Bible tells us that through this work of giving, they see what you are, they give glory to God for the way in which you have given yourselves to the good news of Christ, and for the wealth of your giving to them and to all (1 Cor. 9:12)

We can comfort others by how, through our faith, we face problems and trial with the confidence and serenity that only God can give. We can give comfort to others by showing that it is only God's grace through our faith that give us strength! How many times have we been inspired by the stories of Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Paul, the prophets...We can be, in our own little way, live the life of confidence in God's grace that may prove inspiring to others. God gives us comfort in all our troubles, so that we may be able to give comfort to others who are in trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Cor 1:4).


And finally, we can be a comfort to others through our worship. God encourages us to worship for our edification through our fellowship with the triune God and with the brethren. Paul tells us Not to give up our meetings, as is the way of some, but to keep one another strong in faith; and all the more because you see the day coming near. (Heb 10:25)