Friday, March 06, 2009


A PRESIDENTIAL SACRIFICE WE WOULDN'T WANT TO HAPPEN

Indeed, we have a president with tons of guts. No morals, just tons of guts - and the nerve. Sometimes I wonder, who is giving who a bad name? Her husband from her point of view, or his wife from his point of view? But from our points of view, they both give a bad name to our country, and they have been doing so since grabbing the throne from President Estrada. Is it then a wonder why US President Barack Obama would rather do more important things like say, play basketball with the "brothers," instead of meeting with a corrupt power-grabber who tries her best to correct the wrong that has been done, at the expense of the Filipino people? Obama knows better, and his foreign policy is simple: avoid that presidential squatter. Look where we are today. We have crooks in government who keep getting away with their crimes. Thanks to a partisan Supreme Court and a lame and useless justice secretary who makes an ass of himself each time he opens his mouth, not to mention that he almost always defends the one that has too many defenses already, and then ridicules the helpless victims of injustice. I think it's high time Raul Gonzalez retire and just do Sudoku. But even that he cannot solve! Where now are the likes of Nani Perez, Virgilio Garcillano, Lintang Bedol, Ben Abalos, Carlos Garcia, Joc-Joc Bolante and more of these enemies of the Filipino people? They who have screwed our nation big-time, thanks to a willing administration and its allies in the military and police, the legislature, the judiciary and the executive branch. So now, they still roam our streets and walk among us like free men that they should not be.

I'd like to think that one day, Gloria will wake up from her moral slumber and do the ultimate presidential sacrifice for the Filipino nation. No, not to resign, that's too light a price to pay. After all, she is capable of doing even the unthinkable and the most vile. She will do anything, and I mean everything just to stay in power. This story might help explain what I mean ...

During a recent publicity stunt, Gloria sneaked off to visit a fortune teller of some local repute.

In a dark and hazy room, peering into a crystal ball, the mystic delivered grave news.

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just be blunt: Prepare yourself to be a widow. Your husband will die a violent and horrible death this year."

Visibly shaken, Gloria stared at the woman's lined face, then at the single flickering candle, then down at her hands. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself. She simply had to know. She met the fortune teller's gaze, steadied her voice, and asked her question:

"WILL I BE ACQUITTED??"

Thursday, March 05, 2009


FEED YOUR SHEEP, NOT YOURSELVES

Men in business who hear a "calling" to enter the ministry of evangelism may be a noble thing to answer. But, when you are a man of God - a pastor, having attended Bible school and seminary, and then venture into business to make that extra cash, then something is definitely wrong with your faith, or whatever is left of it, especially if you are identified as a prosperity teacher. What I find so unfair in this situation is that you simply take advantage of your congregation when it comes to selling your wares. From a church member's standpoint, it would be quite difficult to turn away your pastor when he knocks on your door or rings your phone and tells you he has some items you may be interested to buy. Why so? Because that same congregation is his natural market and they would find it quite difficult to turn him down. And that is why networking companies and their leaders target pastors today to sell their business, for the simple reason that they already have the prospective buyers in the palms of their hands.

When a pastor is called to serve God, and then answers that call, he must not take lightly the task that comes with it as to get involved with other things outside the ministry. This cheapens the nobility of doing God's work here on Earth. Sadly so today, we hear of legions of men of God being lured into the networking business to earn fast money. This is all too bothersome as to openly show their flock that their faith isn't strong enough as to rely on God's unlimited supply of blessings to those who would obey His command to spread the Gospel unto the far reaches of the Earth. Proven fact: if you take care of God's business, He will take care of your needs. Joining a business venture with other pastors is simply a collective manner of "untrusting" God and cheapening the vocation. That is why the best solution really is - if you're a pastor, stay as one. Period. Your hands should be too full to get involved with other "worldly" matters.

I don't like to kick a man when he is down, and I believe in loyalty to friends. But when a man repeatedly commits horrendous sins and presents himself as a man of God (with all that implies), then I no longer consider him as a friend when he proves that he was not what was represented. He was a friend yesterday, but an enemy today. He betrayed his Savior, his ordination vows, his wife and friends who greatly respected him. He betrayed his church - God's church. And doing a great amount of good never negates the evil. My personal belief is simple: "transfering" an erring pastor from one church to another is simply allowing him to continue his lechery and treachery, because he had already lost his right to be in the pulpit. And if there is any shame left in him, he should just stop being a pastor and just be himself and join his money-faced networkers. Friends of his who put money above God. Ex-pastors like him who own black-colored Bibles that have now turned gray due to the accumulate dust. But I have since forgiven him, and it is my sincere prayer that he shall soon see the light, and this time, not walk away from it again. Instead, run towards it and come clean before the very same God we both call upon and who answers us in good times and in bad.

Sunday, March 01, 2009


ASIAN TIES IN ASEAN'S THAI

Legend has it that the wide world of the SouthEast Asian region was born out of a potent union of the Earth's Indian and Pacific Ocean plates. The region varies from the pastoral landscape of NorthWest Vietnam to the lush forests of Burma, to the lower Himalayas and the snow-covered peaks of Irian Jaya.

And then, from the Himalayas emerged the mountain chain of continental SouthEast Asia down the SouthWest Pacific and the beautiful islands that have appeared out to the South China Sea and on to Austronesia.

This great natural threshold between the Indian and Pacific Oceans contribute to the individuality of the SouthEast Asian peoples, brimming with grandiose diversity, birthing many cultures, different in several aspects, yet similar in many fundamental traits.

SouthEast Asia's geography and topography contribute greatly to the history and life of its colorful civilizations. Against this background, Thailand today plays host to another ASEAN SUMMIT (forum) of the ten countries belonging to the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations - The ASEAN.

These are the great nations of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Some periods of our mutual past may have failed at mutual understanding, but our world today has no excuses. For even today, many of us are still ignorant of each other despite the instruments of communication and the speed of the information highway or 'infobahn,' Media may produce an awareness of other cultures, but it is an awareness at times replete with prejudice. What we really need now is a purity of soul.

Our heritage binds us together. Our dreams appear from a common horizon. Our lands remain sacred to our people and our region, despite intermittent alien intervention. We have given such names to our memories and we have drawn the image of our future with the common language we all speak: the language of cooperative unity.

We have transcended borders to form this new identity, and it is our intent to face both Asia and the West, the People's Republic of China in the mainland and the United States of America across the Pacific, as a union of collective strengths with all the energy our individual nations may offer.

May this forum be more than the sum of its members.

May our limitations be the source of our greatness. May the avenues of cooperation and understanding be unclogged and fluent. And may the protocols at the end of the day bring harmony and unity, progress and justice to each of us and to the world beyond our sandy white shores.