MikeLigalig.com

Hope in God   

Do not anticipate the problems of this life with apprehension, but rather with a perfect hope that God, to whom you belong, will free you from them accordingly.

mao ni Belle ang gi-ingon nga baga ug nawong? ha ha ha

Kaming nasa labas nang bansa!
How do you see us? This is a good answer from my mailbox;
Akala ng mga tao na nasa Pilipinas kapag nasa America,
Canada, Australia , london , New Zealaand ka, akala nila
madami ka ng pera. Ang totoo, madami kang utang, dahil credit card lahat ang gamit mo sa pagbili mo ng mga gamit mo. Kailangan mo gumamit ng credit card para magka-credit history ka, kase kapag hindi ka umutang o  wala kang utang, ibig sabihin wala kang kapasidad magbayad.

Akala nila mayaman ka na kase may kotse ka na. Ang totoo,
kapag hindi ka bumili ng kotse maglalakad ka ng milya-milya
sa ilalim ng init ng araw o kaya sa snow. walang jeepney, tricycle o padyak sa mga bansang ito.
   
Akala nila masaya ang buhay sa mga bansang ito, Ang totoo, puro ka trabaho, kase pag di ka nagtrabaho, wala kang pambayad ng bills mo sa kotse, credit cards, ilaw, tubig, insurance, bahay at iba pa. Hindi ka na pwedeng tumambay sa kapit-bahay, kase busy din sila maghanap-buhay pangbayad ng bills  nila..
   
Akala nila masaya ka kase nagpapadala ka ng pictures mo sa DisneyLand , Seaworld, SixFlags, Universal Studios, Snow, Beach, mga magagandang tanawin at iba pang attractions. Ang totoo, kailangang ngumiti ka, kasi nagbayad ka  para makarating ka dun.
   
Akala nila malaki na ang kinikita mo kase dolyar na sweldo mo. Ang totoo, malaki pagpinalit mo ng peso, pero dolyar din
ang gastos mo, Ibig sabihin ang dolyar mong kinita sa presyong dolyar mo din gagastusin. Ang  15.00 pesos na sardinas sa Pilipinas $1.00 sa mga bansang ito, and isang pakete ng  sigarilyo sa Pilipinas 40.00, sa mga bansang ito ay $6.50, ang upa mo sa bahay na P10,000 sa Pilipinas, sa mga bansang ito ay $1,000.
   
Akala nila buhay milyonaryo ka na kase ang ganda ng bahay at kotse mo. Ang totoo milyon ang utang mo. Ang bago mong kotse 5 taon  mong huhulugan o higit pa. Ang bahay 30 taon mong huhulugan. Ibig sabihin, alipin ka ng bahay at kotse mo.
   
Madaming naghahangad na makarating sa mga bansang ito . Lalo na mga nurses, mahirap maging normal na manggagawa sa
Pilipinas. Madalas pagod ka sa trabaho. Pag dating ng sweldo mo, kulang  pa sa pagkain mo.pero ganuon din sa ibang bansa katulad sa mga bansang ito. hindi ibig sabihin dolyar na ang sweldo mo, yayaman ka na, kailangan mo ding magbanat ng buto para mabuhay ka sa ibang bansa.
 
Isang malaking sakripisyo ang pag-alis mo sa bansang pinagsilangan at malungkot iwanan ang mga mahal sa buhay. Hindi pinupulot ang pera o pinipitas. Hindi ako naninira ng pangarap, gusto ko lang buksan ang bintana ng katotohanan. HE...HE...HE... ang mahirap pa sa mga bansang ito pag dito ka tumanda dadalhin ka lang sa BAHAY NA PURU MATATANDA ANG KASAMA MO at dito muna uubusin ang nalalabi mong buhay....di katulad sa pinas kahit matanda kana makakasama mopa ang mga anak at apo mo. WALA NA PANG GAGANDA SA BUHAY PINAS KAHIT NAHIHIRAPAN TAYO SA BUHAY. KAYA PAG-ISIPAN NINYO MABUTI KUNG GUSTO NIO D2 SA MGA BANSANG ITO.

WHEN I TRAVELED, PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME, WHY I LIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES ?

WELL HERE IT IS........... .... It is the only place on earth where.

1) Every street has a basketball court.

2) Even doctors, lawyers and engineers are unemployed

3) Doctors study to become nurses FOR employment abroad

4) Students pay more money than they will earn afterwards

5) School is considered the second home and the MALL considered the third

6) Call Center employees earn more money than teacher and nurses

7) Everyone has his personal ghost story and superstition

Mountains like MAKILING and BANAHAW are considered      holy places

9) Everything can be forged

10) All kinds of animals are Edible

11) Starbucks Coffee is more expensive than gas

12) Driving 4 KMS can take as much as 4 hrs..

13) Flyovers bring you from the freeway to the side streets

14) Crossing the street involves running for your dear life

15) The personal computer is mainly used for games an friendster

16) Where Colonial mentality is dishonestly denied

17) Where 4 AM is not even considered bedtime yet

18) People can pay to defy the law.

19) Everything and everyone is  spoofed

20) Where even the poverty-stricken get to wear RALPH-LAUREN AND TOMMY HILFIGER (peke)

21) The honking of car horns is a way of life

22) Being called a bum is never offensive

23) Floodwaters take up more than 90 percent of the streets during the rainy seasons.

24) Where everyone has a relative abroad who keeps them alive

25) Where wearing your national colors make you baduy

26) Where even proverty-stricken have the latest cell-phones
       (GSM-Galing Sa Magnanakaw)

27) Where insurance does not work

28) Where water can only be classified as tap or dirty

29) Clean water is for sale (35.00 pesos per galloon)

30) Where the government makes the people pray for miracles (AMEN to that)

31) Where University of The Philippines where all the weird people go

32) Ateneo is where all nerds go

33) La Salle is where all the chinese go

34) University of Asia and the Pacific is where all the  irrelevantly rich people go

35) Fast food is a diet meal

36) Traffic signs are merely suggestions, not regulations

37) Where being mugged is normal and it happens to everyone

38) Rodents are normal house pets

39) The definiton of traffic is the 'non-movement' of vehicles

40) Where the fighter planes of the 1940's are used for military engagements
 
41) The NEW FIGHTER PLANES are displayed in Museums

42) Where cigarettes and alcohol are a necessity and where the Lottery is a commodity

43) Where soap operas tell the realities of life and where the news are provides drama
   
44) Where actors make the rules and where the politicians provide the entertainment

45) People can get away with stealing TRILLIONS of Pesos but not a Thousand

46) Where being an hour late is still considered punctual
 
47) Where the squatters have more to complain (even if they do not pay their tax) than those employed and have their tax
       automatically deducted from their salaries

48) And where everyone wants to leave the country.

THERE IS NO COUNTRY LIKE PINAS, KAYA MAGISIP KANG MABUTI KUNG GUSTO MONG MANIRAHAN SA MGA BANSANG NASABI, WITH FILIPINO SIGNS OF:

1) The sign in a flower shop in Diliman called 'FATAL ATTRACTION'

2)  Fast-food place selling 'Maruya' called Maruya Carey

3) On a highway in Pampanga, 'We Make Modern Antique Furniture'

4) On the window of a photography shop in Cabanatuan , 'We Shoot You While You Wait'

5) A Shoe store in Pangasinan which has a big sign saying
' We sell Imported Robber shoes' ( these could be the sneakiest sneakers)

6) A rental property sign in JARO, ILOILO 'House for RENT, Fully Furnaced' (it must really be hot inside)

7) According to Manila businessman. . THERE IS SO MUCH WITHIN THE PHILIPPINES BECAUSE 'WE ARE A COUNTRY WHERE A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR IS NEEDED TO SURVIVE'  , WE HAVE 24-HRS COMEDY SHOW HERE CALLED THE GOVERNMENT AND A  HUGE RESERVE COMEDIANS MADE UP MOSTLY OF POLITICIANS AND BAD ACTORS.
 
SO KABABAYAN....WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE?

ps
Pasalubong diha , beh?

I love my own my native land!

this tantamount to cruelty to animals;

I stopped using soap when I wash my face since I was 30. Too much soap upsets the ph balance of your skin.

wow ! this is a dream come true.

Annunciation of the Lord

 
The feast of the Annunciation goes back to the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity, indeed all creation, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
Mary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. Because Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity.

She is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38).

Together with Jesus, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best, after Jesus, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us.




Comment:

Sometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace, the wonder of God’s freely given love. The marvel of Maryâ€"even in the midst of her very ordinary lifeâ€"is God’s shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design.


Quote:

“Enriched from the first instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holiness, the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by divine command, as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly and impeded by no sin to God’s saving will, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with him, serving the mystery of redemption, by the grace of Almighty God” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).

Desire of Imitation   

Each day we must think on the life of the One we intend to take as our model. From reflection is born esteem for his acts, and from esteem springs the desire of imitation. 

I placed the blog in facebook and some friends like it especially the Broas and other delicacies.

enjoy ko nagbasa sa injongpostings, kay ma-fantsize nako morag starwars na ang eleksyon!

Dia ra nitubag na!  Kamusta man kamo diha sa Cavite?

I encourage you Forum members to take a look at this blog, nindut jamo , daghang sugilanon nga maka-lingaw.

St. Catherine of Genoa
(1447-1510)


Going to confession one day was the turning point of Catherine’s life.
When Catherine was born, many Italian nobles were supporting Renaissance artists and writers. The needs of the poor and the sick were often overshadowed by a hunger for luxury and self-indulgence.

Catherine’s parents were members of the nobility in Genoa. At 13 she attempted to become a nun but failed because of her age. At 16 she married Julian, a nobleman who turned out to be selfish and unfaithful. For a while she tried to numb her disappointment by a life of selfish pleasure.

One day in confession she had a new sense of her own sins and how much God loved her. She reformed her life and gave good example to Julian, who soon turned from his self-centered life of distraction.Julian’s spending, however, had ruined them financially. He and Catherine decided to live in the Pammatone, a large hospital in Genoa, and to dedicate themselves to works of charity there. After Julian’s death in 1497, Catherine took over management of the hospital.

She wrote about purgatory which, she said, begins on earth for souls open to God. Life with God in heaven is a continuation and perfection of the life with God begun on earth.

Exhausted by her life of self-sacrifice, she died September 15, 1510, and was canonized in 1737.



Comment:

Regular confessions and frequent Communion can help us see the direction (or drift) of our life with God. People who have a realistic sense of their own sinfulness and of the greatness of God are often the ones who are most ready to meet the needs of their neighbors. Catherine began her hospital work with enthusiasm and was faithful to it through difficult times because she was inspired by the love of God, a love which was renewed in her by the Scriptures and the sacraments.


Quote:

Shortly before Catherine’s death she told her goddaughter: "Tomasina! Jesus in your heart! Eternity in your mind! The will of God in all your actions! But above all, love, God’s love, entire love!" (Marion A. Habig, O.F.M., The Franciscan Book of Saints, p. 212).

I know that Phil registered nurses are highly qualified, busa dinhe sa Germany, tahod ang mga doktor sa mga Pinay nurses. German needs only 3 years apprenticeship to learn this profession.

I will ask Michelle.

Ganahan ko nimo Indayon kay pirmi ka mosimang! ha ha ha

kon radyo pa kini sign off adunay Bayang Magiliw!

Calle asa ra ka? Ikaw man ang presidente sa dajong sa Valencia!

thanks for sharing your experience jas4! you simply spoke from the bottom of your heart. What I noticed is that our public teachers are lowly paid unja daghang amoton, kini kuhaan sa ilang sweldo. kinsa man intawon ang dili ma-demoralize. They need to be fairly paid and regularly trained, kini importante aron maka-catch  up sila sa mga kabag-ohan. For sure most of them are computer illiterate. Kon ang mga politiko maka huna-huna ug kaayohan sa mga kabataan, unahon ang mga maestra/maestro kay sila man ang manonodlo, they teach most basic of our education.

Seek His Guidance   

Raise your mind to the Lord and implore him to guide your mind himself, to speak to your heart and move your will. 

Belated birthday greetings sa akong amigang taga-este!May God grant you all good things today and the years to come!

What counts most in this profession is dedication.

this advertisement form darklord is very misleading, an airport in Panglao is non-existent! Dili maayo kining mamot-bot.

di man lain, kon mangawkaw ug kwarta, dili man lain. Wala lay konsensya angin sa kaswapangan.

St. Turibius of Mogrovejo
(1538-1606)


Together with Rose of Lima, Turibius is the first known saint of the New World, serving the Lord in Peru, South America, for 26 years.
Born in Spain and educated for the law, he became so brilliant a scholar that he was made professor of law at the University of Salamanca and eventually became chief judge of the Inquisition at Granada. He succeeded too well. But he was not sharp enough a lawyer to prevent a surprising sequence of events.

When the archdiocese of Lima in Peru required a new leader, Turibius was chosen to fill the post: He was the one person with the strength of character and holiness of spirit to heal the scandals that had infected that area.

He cited all the canons that forbade giving laymen ecclesiastical dignities, but he was overruled. He was ordained priest and bishop and sent to Peru, where he found colonialism at its worst. The Spanish conquerors were guilty of every sort of oppression of the native population. Abuses among the clergy were flagrant, and he devoted his energies (and suffering) to this area first.

He began the long and arduous visitation of an immense archdiocese, studying the language, staying two or three days in each place, often with neither bed nor food. He confessed every morning to his chaplain, and celebrated Mass with intense fervor. Among those to whom he gave the Sacrament of Confirmation was St. Rose of Lima, and possibly St. Martin de Porres. After 1590 he had the help of another great missionary, St. Francis Solanus.

His people, though very poor, were sensitive, dreading to accept public charity from others. Turibius solved the problem by helping them anonymously.




Comment:

The Lord indeed writes straight with crooked lines. Against his will, and from the unlikely springboard of an Inquisition tribunal, this man became the Christlike shepherd of a poor and oppressed people. God gave him the gift of loving others as they needed it.

Mortify Our Selfish Spirit   

Let us take care to mortify our selfish spirit which puffs us up, makes us impulsive, and leads to aridity of the soul. 

Si da Bins bitaw ang gadala sa pagka bida dinhe sa Tubag Bohol, she is our sunshine!

This is a vacation with my son who prefers to go to Siargao, Surigao for surfing. Pero moanha jud ko sa Boracay.

Okay, I will try to visit your place and if I´m contented I will promote your establishments to my friends here in Germany.

Kon sa German pa ;

Ms da binsi, mutter aller postings!

I think he has to persevere to prove that he truly deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. He was also gracious to divide the money to different social institutions and also to Haiti earthquake victims.

Where ever you might go, please remember there are friends waiting for you! Sayonara.

Are the months July-August high season in Boracay?

Yes he can!
I simply admire the magnanimity of America and its constituents, motabang bisan asa, donations in different forms, makig away sa laing nasud aron mahatag ang freedom.
But look, there is an evident rise of poverty in this country and medical care is one of the basic needs of each and everyone.
Obamas persistence did paid.

What went wrong in our country? I have seen so many reports that the cost of living in Thailand is a lot cheaper and better.

in my opinion this is politically incorrect. My good friends call them in tagalog "kasama sa bahay".

House passes health care bill on 219-212 voteBy Alan Silverleib, CNN
March 22, 2010 2:55 a.m. EDT


Washington (CNN) -- President Obama won a historic victory in the struggle for health care reform Sunday as the House of Representatives passed a sweeping bill overhauling the American medical system.

Most Americans will now be required to have health insurance or pay a fine. Larger employers will be required to provide coverage or risk financial penalties. Total individual out-of-pocket expenses will be capped, and insurers will be barred from denying coverage based on gender or pre-existing conditions.

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congratulations America, a new start is always difficult but it serves the majority.

abi nimo darklord kining polong nga .., maids/, makainsulto,  sulayi daw ang katabang sa panimalay.

St. Nicholas Owen
(d. 1606)


Nicholas, familiarly known as "Little John," was small in stature but big in the esteem of his fellow Jesuits.
Born at Oxford, this humble artisan saved the lives of many priests and laypersons in England during the penal times (1559-1829), when a series of statutes punished Catholics for the practice of their faith. Over a period of about 20 years he used his skills to build secret hiding places for priests throughout the country. His work, which he did completely by himself as both architect and builder, was so good that time and time again priests in hiding were undetected by raiding parties. He was a genius at finding, and creating, places of safety: subterranean passages, small spaces between walls, impenetrable recesses. At one point he was even able to mastermind the escape of two Jesuits from the Tower of London. Whenever Nicholas set out to design such hiding places, he began by receiving the Holy Eucharist, and he would turn to God in prayer throughout the long, dangerous construction process.

After many years at his unusual task, he entered the Society of Jesus and served as a lay brother, althoughâ€"for very good reasonsâ€"his connection with the Jesuits was kept secret.

After a number of narrow escapes, he himself was finally caught in 1594. Despite protracted torture, he refused to disclose the names of other Catholics. After being released following the payment of a ransom, "Little John" went back to his work. He was arrested again in 1606. This time he was subjected to horrible tortures, suffering an agonizing death. The jailers tried suggesting that he had confessed and committed suicide, but his heroism and sufferings soon were widely known.

He was canonized in 1970 as one of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales.



Comment:

Nicholas was a clever builder and architect who used his skills to protect endangered priests. Without his help, hundreds of English Catholics would have been deprived of the sacraments. His gift for spotting unlikely places to hide priests was impressive, but more impressive was his habit of seeking support for his work in prayer and the Eucharist. If we follow his example, we may also discover surprising ways to put our skills to God’s service.

Complete Trust   

The more numerous your enemies become, the more you ought to abandon yourself with complete trust in the Lord. He will always sustain you with his powerful arm so that you may not stumble. 

I found this one in facebook

Felix, na-a sa posod!

i succumb to this 7 sins most of the time, but I´m trying my best to resist!

Blessed John of Parma
(1209-1289)

The seventh general minister of the Franciscan Order, John was known for his attempts to bring back the earlier spirit of the Order after the death of St. Francis of Assisi.
He was born in Parma, Italy, in 1209. It was when he was a young philosophy professor known for his piety and learning that God called him to bid good-bye to the world he was used to and enter the new world of the Franciscan Order. After his profession John was sent to Paris to complete his theological studies. Ordained to the priesthood, he was appointed to teach theology at Bologna, then Naples and finally Rome.

In 1245, Pope Innocent IV called a general council in the city of Lyons, France. Crescentius, the Franciscan minister general at the time, was ailing and unable to attend. In his place he sent Father John, who made a deep impression on the Church leaders gathered there. Two years later, when the same pope presided at the election of a minister general of the Franciscans, he remembered Father John well and held him up as the man best qualified for the office.

And so, in 1247, John of Parma was elected to be minister general. The surviving disciples of St. Francis rejoiced in his election, expecting a return to the spirit of poverty and humility of the early days of the Order. And they were not disappointed. As general of the Order John traveled on foot, accompanied by one or two companions, to practically all of the Franciscan convents in existence. Sometimes he would arrive and not be recognized, remaining there for a number of days to test the true spirit of the brothers.

The pope called on John to serve as legate to Constantinople, where he was most successful in winning back the schismatic Greeks. Upon his return he asked that someone else take his place to govern the Order. St. Bonaventure, at John's urging, was chosen to succeed him. John took up a life of prayer in the hermitage at Greccio.

Many years later, John learned that the Greeks, who had been reconciled with the Church for a time, had relapsed into schism. Though 80 years old by then, John received permission from Pope Nicholas IV to return to the East in an effort to restore unity once again. On his way, John fell sick and died.

He was beatified in 1781.



Comment:

In the 13th century, people in their 30s were middle-aged; hardly anyone lived to the ripe old age of 80. John did, but he didn’t ease into retirement. Instead he was on his way to try to heal a schism in the Church when he died. Our society today boasts a lot of folks in their later decades. Like John, many of them lead active lives. But some aren’t so fortunate. Weakness or ill health keeps them confined and lonelyâ€"waiting to hear from us.

Surrender For Love   

To love someone often means to surrender our will to their good, and that is where the cross begins

dugay na man kini sila nga insolvent.

pweteng laaya pod ni,Oy!

 
Date: April 28, 2010  (3:00PM)
Venue: Holy Family Church(Heilige Familie Kerk)
Venlo-The Netherlands


PAGTITIPON NG SUMASAMPALATAYANG BAYAN
ISANG PAGDIRIWANG AT PASASALAMAT
KASAMA ANG KANYANG KABUNYIAN

GAUDENCIO B. CARDINAL ROSALES D.D.

Dear Kababayan and Friends,

                On April 25-28, 2010, His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal B. Rosales, Archbishop of Manila is coming for a Pastoral visit in Venlo, The Netherlands . It is his wish to meet us, Filipino Catholics,  residing in The Netherlands and the nearby localities of  Germany and Belgium.

In line with this opportunity, we are cordially inviting you to join

His Eminence Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales.
in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist
on Wednesday,    April 28, 2010 at 3 o’clock in the afternoon
(15:00h) at the
Holy Family Parish Church
(Heilige Familie Kerk)  -  Belletablestraat  19/ 5913 AW Venlo NL.

Right after Holy Mass, a reception in honor of the Cardinal will be held in the SVD Missiehuis, St. Michaelstraat 7, Steyl-Tegelen. It is always our Filipino tradition that such festivities wouldn’t be complete without the sharing of food. We are therefore requesting you to bring and share your food  specialties for this occasion (POTLUCK).

Come and be one with us in celebrating the visit of our beloved Filipino Cardinal. 

Sincerely;

Fr Cesar O. Tablon, MSP
Father Jonathan Germinanda, MSP
Members of the Mission Society of the Philippines

Noted:
Z.E.H. Jos Spee                                 Fr. Jurgen |Ommerborn
Pastoor Deken                                   Adviser, Filipino-Dutch-German Community
Venlo Dekenaat                                Steyl-Tegelen



In cooperation with:
The Himig Filipina Choir 
Filipino-Dutch-German Community, Steyl-Tegelen.

For further information and confirmation of attendance pls. contact

  Fr. Cesar Tablon MSP – ctablono@yahoo.ca
       Tel# +31619325338/ +31773514934
  Fr. Jonathan Germinanda MSP       
       Tel.# +31773514934/ +31626341016
Sally Puts – Himig Filipina Choir – FDG community
       sally_puts@yahoo.com – Tel. # +31614318499/+31475326526
*** Other members of the Himig Filipina Choir for personal contact.

Links:
http://www.msp.org.ph
http://www.pondongpinoy.com.ph< /a>
http://www.rcam.org/


Kababayans based in the nearby countries are heartily invited. The Bol-anon sa Germany group joins the welcoming committee.

January 5, 2010 Why Alex Lacson?

Why Alex Lacson?
by Jay Jaboneta

You may be wondering who Alex “Pinoy” Lacson is. Let me tell you a story â€" a few years ago, Alex and his wife Pia were contemplating leaving the Philippines for greener pastures abroad. Though they were blessed to be living comfortable lives, they still had doubts whether our country offered the best future not only for them but also for their children and their children's children. These thoughts came about because many of their family relatives and friends were leaving the country to seek greener pastures abroad; and leave a country saddled with so much negativity and debt. After months of struggling with a decision, an idea came to them that instead of leaving, they can actually be part of the solution and so the journey of the 12 little steps began. Around 2005, Alex published a book that is slowly shifting our attitude. The book entitled 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country became a national bestseller and brought about renewed optimism in the people who have read it â€" Alex gave hope to the hopeless and he brought to bear, little things we can do to be part of the solution â€" that indeed, there is a new force in the country, a force for good, a force for change.



Vote for a God-fearing politician!

This is very interesting since I wanted to see Cambodia. I open the website but I must say that the prices be converted also to US dollars. In this way it is easy to mentally calculate the amount.
Is this travel agency serious?
Does anyone know where to run to if the contract went wrong for complains for example?

Bedoy I was thinking the same kon wala ba ihijak ni Inday Raki iyajang tijan! ha ha ha,
You look great Indayon, keep going.

St. Salvator of Horta
(1520-1567)


A reputation for holiness does have some drawbacks. Public recognition can be a nuisance at timesâ€"as the confreres of Salvator found out.
Salvator was born during Spain’s Golden Age. Art, politics and wealth were flourishing. So was religion. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in 1540.

Salvator’s parents were poor. At the age of 21 he entered the Franciscans as a brother and was soon known for his asceticism, humility and simplicity.

As cook, porter and later the official beggar for the friars in Tortosa, he became well known for his charity. He healed the sick with the Sign of the Cross. When crowds of sick people began coming to the friary to see Salvator, the friars transferred him to Horta. Again the sick flocked to ask his intercession; one person estimated that two thousand people a week came to see Salvator. He told them to examine their consciences, to go to confession and to receive Holy Communion worthily. He refused to pray for those who would not receive those sacraments.

The public attention given to Salvator was relentless. The crowds would sometimes tear off pieces of his habit as relics. Two years before his death, Salvator was moved again, this time to Cagliari on the island of Sardinia. He died at Cagliari saying, "Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." He was canonized in 1938.



Comment:

Medical science is now seeing more clearly the relation of some diseases to one’s emotional and spiritual life. In Healing Life’s Hurts, Matthew and Dennis Linn report that sometimes people experience relief from illness only when they have decided to forgive others. Salvator prayed that people might be healed, and many were. Surely not all diseases can be treated this way; medical help should not be abandoned. But notice that Salvator urged his petitioners to reestablish their priorities in life before they asked for healing.


Quote:

"Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness" (Matthew 10:1).

Spiritual Fruit   

The fruits are the last things to appear on a tree, so it will take you time to develop these as you grow in the spiritual life. â€"St. Thomas Aquinas 

Grabe bitaw sa una, mangdapat ang maestra. Hugaw ug kuko, pokpokon sa ruler, kot-onon ka bitaron imong bohok.

I drink 1 liter lukewarm water every morning. After an hour I start my breakfast with coffee (brewed) sugar and milk. I lost 4 kilos after 6 months. this is really a mild form of reducing my weight. I have read that water cleanses your internal system and all unwanted fats in your body.
Maintaining weight is easy since I don´t drink beverages other than lemon grass tea (dried tanglad leaves), and occasional glass of red wine.

Anne learn from the benefits of water therapy, drink water before meals to lessen the volume of your stomach and it also dilutes your gastric juice.

I discovered that hunger so long suppressed triggers migrane in my case. Pagkabuntag, manlipatpat akong panan-aw, dayon magsuka walay honong hapit 3 ka adlaw.
Magkatawa god akong mga anak, kay bisan bahaw ug saging, mokaon jud ko.

namahaw naka Doy?

The catholic faith here in Germany is being rocked with human and sexual abuses committed by priests and lay persons working in institutions like boarding schools.  Even the brother of Pope Benedict, Georg Ratzinger , priest and Choir master of the world famous Regensburg boys choir, admitted his fault on slapping boys during rehearsals ( he is known for his rascible temper).  The catholics are waiting to hear some statements from the Holy See but the German Bishops Conference defended him, saying the wrongdoings was done in Germany so they are responsible to investigate about the whole affair. They also added that they are asking forgiveness and willing to pay damages ( financial) to the victims.

Day Anne, dili jod ko makatolog kon gakotoy akong tiyan! Mokaon jud ko ug bahaw bisan bahogan ug toyo or ketchup.

If you do the tricks above and it doesn´t work, don´t go to your weighing scale anymore to prevent frustrations!

ps
there is a German rule, always eat half portion, this I did and I was able to maintain my weight.

Television was something new as a medium and advertisements like this was truly entertaining, compare to what we have nowadays. The ads are fast, bright in colors, music is digitally made and the visuals are mostly sexually overtoned.

Saint Joseph


 
The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts.
When the Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone, it means that God, the all-holy or “righteous” One, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness, and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or her. In other words, God is not playing games, acting as if we were lovable when we are not.

By saying Joseph was “just,” the Bible means that he was one who was completely open to all that God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to God.

The rest we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won Mary, and the depth of the love they shared during their marriage.

It is no contradiction of Joseph’s manly holiness that he decided to divorce Mary when she was found to be with child. The important words of the Bible are that he planned to do this “quietly” because he was “a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame” (Matthew 1:19).

The just man was simply, joyfully, wholeheartedly obedient to Godâ€"in marrying Mary, in naming Jesus, in shepherding the precious pair to Egypt, in bringing them to Nazareth, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage.



Comment:

The Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the Temple (see Luke 2:41â€"51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other family, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those of every family, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature began to appear, people couldn’t believe that he came from such humble beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary...?” (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46b).


Quote:

“He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: ‘Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord’” (St. Bernardine of Siena).


Patron Saint of:

Belgium
Canada
Carpenters
China
Church
Death
Fathers
Happy death
Peru
Russia
Social justice
Travelers
Universal Church
Vietnam
Workers

Pleasing God   

To love God as He commands is to give of ourselves to please Him without conditions. 

Luckily, it is not really tough here with us. If the answer like this is clear and honest, then it is okay. We talked direct to our superiors in this manner.

Sa Europe kay 28 March pa!

salamat sa posting Padre! Makahinom-dom man sab ta sa mga matam-is nga nangagi!

In this far flung country I found my true friendship among my fellow Bol-anons here! Mag kita kita ug manga-on ug suman, siyakoy, buwad, ginamos ug tawong salad. We share our family blessings, hopes and worries, where to stay after pension, weighing pro-contra . We are all in dilemma.

March 19;

Saint Joseph

Excerpt - He is Holy Joseph, because no other saint but he lived in such and so long intimacy and familiarity with the source of all holiness, Jesus, God incarnate, and Mary, the holiest of creatures.
Blessed be the name of Joseph henceforth and for ever. Amen

don´t keep yourself out of touch because you are the pioneers here!

please allow me to add this from my minute meditations;

Humility   

Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue itâ€"and the more we seem to acquire itâ€"the more we take pride in our accomplishment, and we find ourselves back at square one. 

St. Cyril of Jerusalem
(315?-386)


The crises that the Church faces today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ and almost overcame Christinity in the fourth century. Cyril was to be caught up in the controversy, accused (later) of Arianism by St. Jerome, and ultimately vindicated both by the men of his own time and by being declared a Doctor of the Church in 1822. Raised in Jerusalem, well-educated, especially in the Scriptures, he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem and given the task of catechizing during Lent those preparing for Baptism and during the Easter season the newly baptized. His Catecheses remain valuable as examples of the ritual and theology of the Church in the mid-fourth century.
There are conflicting reports about the circumstances of his becoming bishop of Jerusalem. It is certain that he was validly consecrated by bishops of the province. Since one of them was an Arian, Acacius, it may have been expected that his “cooperation” would follow. Conflict soon rose between Cyril and Acacius, bishop of the rival nearby see of Caesarea. Cyril was summoned to a council, accused of insubordination and of selling Church property to relieve the poor. Probably, however, a theological difference was also involved. He was condemned, driven from Jerusalem, and later vindicated, not without some association and help of Semi-Arians. Half his episcopate was spent in exile (his first experience was repeated twice). He finally returned to find Jerusalem torn with heresy, schism and strife, and wracked with crime. Even St. Gregory of Nyssa, sent to help, left in despair.

They both went to the (second ecumenical) Council of Constantinople, where the amended form of the Nicene Creed was promulgated. Cyril accepted the word consubstantial (that is, of Christ and the Father). Some said it was an act of repentance, but the bishops of the Council praised him as a champion of orthodoxy against the Arians. Though not friendly with the greatest defender of orthodoxy against the Arians, Cyril may be counted among those whom Athanasius called “brothers, who mean what we mean, and differ only about the word [consubstantial].”




Comment:

Those who imagine that the lives of saints are simple and placid, untouched by the vulgar breath of controversy, are rudely shocked by history. Yet it should be no surprise that saints, indeed all Christians, will experience the same difficulties as their Master. The definition of truth is an endless, complex pursuit, and good men and women have suffered the pain of both controversy and error. Intellectual, emotional and political roadblocks may slow up people like Cyril for a time. But their lives taken as a whole are monuments to honesty and courage.


Quote:

“It is not only among us, who are marked with the name of Christ, that the dignity of faith is great; all the business of the world, even of those outside the Church, is accomplished by faith. By faith, marriage laws join in union persons who were strangers to one another. By faith, agriculture is sustained; for a man does not endure the toil involved unless he believes he will reap a harvest. By faith, seafaring men, entrusting themselves to a tiny wooden craft, exchange the solid element of the land for the unstable motion of the waves. Not only among us does this hold true but also, as I have said, among those outside the fold. For though they do not accept the Scriptures but advance certain doctrines of their own, yet even these they receive on faith” (Catechesis V).

Serve God With All Your Heart   

I recommend to you to have a firm and general proposal to always serve God with all your heart; do not worry about tomorrow. 

Bella is a talented photographer, and because she is gwapa, she got pulseras pa-ngontra sa mga bujagan.

Salamat Ondoy, you are our man of wisdom.

This email was from a good friend, a Pampango and a businessman here in Frankfurt.Police are not trustworthy especially nowadays there are lots of junkies among them, it is wise to put them under drug test regularyl.

St. Patrick
(415?-493?)

 
Legends about Patrick abound; but truth is best served by our seeing two solid qualities in him: He was humble and he was courageous. The determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for Christ.
Details of his life are uncertain. Current research places his dates of birth and death a little later than earlier accounts. Patrick may have been born in Dunbarton, Scotland, Cumberland, England, or in northern Wales. He called himself both a Roman and a Briton. At 16, he and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold.

After six years, Patrick escaped, probably to France, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. He may have studied at Lerins, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre, France, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. His great desire was to proclaim the Good News to the Irish.

In a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north, where the faith had never been preached, obtained the protection of local kings and made numerous converts.

Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests, divided the country into dioceses, held Church councils, founded several monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ.

He suffered much opposition from pagan druids, and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission.

In a relatively short time the island had experienced deeply the Christian spirit, and was prepared to send out missionaries whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe.

Patrick was a man of action, with little inclination toward learning. He had a rocklike belief in his vocation, in the cause he had espoused.

One of the few certainly authentic writings is his Confessio, above all an act of homage to God for having called Patrick, unworthy sinner, to the apostolate.

There is hope rather than irony in the fact that his burial place is said to be in strife-torn Ulster, in County Down.



Comment:

What distinguishes Patrick is the durability of his efforts. When one considers the state of Ireland when he began his mission work, the vast extent of his labors (all of Ireland) and how the seeds he planted continued to grow and flourish, one can only admire the kind of man Patrick must have been. The holiness of a person is known only by the fruits of his or her work.


Quote:

“Christ shield me this day: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me” (from “The Breastplate of St. Patrick”).


Patron Saint of:

Engineers
Ireland
Nigeria

Humility   

Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue itâ€"and the more we seem to acquire itâ€"the more we take pride in our accomplishment, and we find ourselves back at square one. 

True it is long Padre, but there is real substance in this article.

Warning sa mga "Bakasyonistang OFWs, Balikbayan at sa lahat nating kamag-anak sa Pilipinas...



MAG-INGAT KAYO sa Metro Manila at sa ibang lugar sa Pilipinas

As received, I'd like to share this very important warning message for the hardworking fellow kababayans abroad who are going on vacation to the Philippines ....

Mahalagang paala-ala sa ating mga kababayan na nagsisikap na makapagpundar ng salapi para sa kanilang pamilya.

Narito ang isa sa mga bagong karumaldumal na gawain ng mga bayarin na alagad ng batas para sila ay magkamal ng salapi sa masamang paraan.

Kung kayo ay kumakain sa anumang Food Court , restaurant o fastfood ay mag-iingat kayo sa ganitong scenario... habang kayo ay kumakain, may pwe-pwesto sa tapat ng lamesa nyo na isang tao (babae o lalaki) at ito

ay magkukunwaring kakain din, kalimitan ang suot ay parang balikbayan din. Gagamitin niya and kanyang cellphone at malakas na mag sasalita

para makuha ang atensyon mo.

Bigla itong tatayo at a-akto na nagmamadali.  Iiwanan niya sa table ang susi ng kotse nya. Dito ay dapat kang mag-isip ng mabuti dahil sa oras na kunin mo ang susi at ihabol sa labas ng fastfood o restaurant para iabot sa umalis na customer ay pagdating sa labas ay hindi mo na

makikita ang taong ito. Pag-balik mo sa loob ng fastfood or

restaurant, biglang may lalapit sayo na magpapakilalang pulis at sasabihin sayo na ikaw ay suspect sa carnapping, at bubulungan ka na huwag mag-ingay at kailangang sumama sa labas dahil nandoon ang complainant, at may tatayo pa na apat na tao sa loob ng fastfood o restaurant at magpapakilalang mga intel agent.  Dito ay malilito ka na

at mapipilitan kang sumama sa labas.

ITO AY ISANG MALINAW NA FRAME-UP!

Kapag kayo ay nasa labas na, dito na magaganap ang pagpilit sayo na sumakay sa kotse nila upang ikaw daw dalhin sa presinto subalit dadalhin ka nila sa lugar na halos walang tao at doon ka tatakutin na ipa-pa-media at sasampahan ng kaso.

Ito na ang simula ng pag-alok nila sa iyo ng ibang option para hindi ka makasuhan.  Ito ay ang pagbibigay mo sa kanila ng pera, una ay hihingan ka nila ng P500,000.00 hanggang sa makipag ne- gosiate ka sa kanila.

KAYA PO MGA KASAMANG MGA OFW, MAG-INGAT PO KAYO SA PAGMAMAGANDANG LOOB

KAPAG NASA PILIPINAS.

IWASAN PO NINYONG DAMPUTIN ANG ANO MANG BAGAY NA MAIIWAN NG MGA KUSTOMER NA AGAW-PANSIN.

IPAALAM PO NATIN ITO SA LAHAT NG ATING KASAMANG OFW AT MAGING SA MGA

KAMAG-ANAK NATIN NA NASA PILIPINAS.

HINDI PO TAYO NAMUMULOT NG SALAPI PARA NAKAWIN SA ATIN NG MGA WALANG PUSONG NAGPAPAKILALANG ALAGAD NG BATAS ANG SALAPING ATING PINAGHIRAPAN, PATI PO ANG MAGANDANG PANGALAN NATIN AY KANILANG

SISIRAIN.

Ito po ay nangyayari sa lugar ng Bulacan, Laguna, Antipolo, Bataan , at

Quezon City ..

Ben, this is a very sad fact in our country.

Daghang mga Aleman matolog walay ipok!

ps
I cooked chicken soup, german style. Sa ato pa kini gibutangan na ug kamunggay.

My prayer to you Isabella;

You have been enlightened
by Christ. Walk always
as a child of the light
And keep the flame of faith
alive in your heart.

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer
(1751-1820)


Clement might be called the second founder of the Redemptorists, as it was he who carried the congregation of St. Alphonsus Liguori to the people north of the Alps.
John, the name given him at Baptism, was born in Moravia into a poor family, the ninth of 12 children. Although he longed to be a priest there was no money for studies, and he was apprenticed to a baker. But God guided the young man's fortunes. He found work in the bakery of a monastery where he was allowed to attend classes in its Latin school. After the abbot there died, John tried the life of a hermit but when Emperor Joseph II abolished hermitages, John again returned to Vienna and to baking. One day after serving Mass at the cathedral of St. Stephen, he called a carriage for two ladies waiting there in the rain. In their conversation they learned that he could not pursue his priestly studies because of a lack of funds. They generously offered to support both him and his friend, Thaddeus, in their seminary studies. The two went to Rome, where they were drawn to St. Alphonsus' vision of religious life and to the Redemptorists. The two young men were ordained together in 1785.

Newly professed at age 34, Clement Mary, as he was now called, and Thaddeus were sent back to Vienna. But the religious difficulties there caused them to leave and continue north to Warsaw, Poland. There they encountered numerous German-speaking Catholics who had been left priestless by the suppression of the Jesuits. At first they had to live in great poverty and preached outdoor sermons. They were given the church of St. Benno, and for the next nine years they preached five sermons a day, two in German and three in Polish, converting many to the faith. They were active in social work among the poor, founding an orphanage and then a school for boys.

Drawing candidates to the congregation, they were able to send missionaries to Poland, Germany and Switzerland. All of these foundations had eventually to be abandoned because of the political and religious tensions of the times. After 20 years of difficult work Clement himself was imprisoned and expelled from the country. Only after another arrest was he able to reach Vienna, where he was to live and work the final 12 years of his life. He quickly became "the apostle of Vienna," hearing the confessions of the rich and poor, visiting the sick, acting as a counselor to the powerful, sharing his holiness with all in the city. His crowning work was the establishment of a Catholic college in his beloved city.

Persecution followed him, and there were those in authority who were able for a while to stop him from preaching. An attempt was made at the highest levels to have him banished. But his holiness and fame protected him and the growth of the Redemptorists. Due to his efforts, the congregation, upon his death in 1820, was firmly established north of the Alps.

He was canonized in 1909.



Comment:

Clement saw his life’s work meet with disaster. Religious and political tensions forced him and his brothers to abandon their ministry in Germany, Poland and Switzerland. Clement himself was exiled from Poland and had to start all over again. Someone once pointed out that the followers of the crucified Jesus should see only new possibilities opening up whenever they meet failure. He encourages us to follow his example, trusting in the Lord to guide us.

Spiritual Growth   

Part of growing up spiritually is learning to be grateful for all things, even our difficulties, disappointments, failures and humiliations. 

from my mailbox, nice to be shared;

BRIEF HISTORY OF "WHY" PILIPINAS IS VERY MALAS. 

I HOPE THAT YOU WILL READ THIS…….

FILIPINAS AND BAYAN KO…..






Subject: History of the "MALAS" Nation - Panahon na para baguhin





"There is a lot of truth on this. Don't know the "Historian" Author:

This brief history of the  Philippines , told by a philosopher of the streets, is probably closest to the truth about ourselves.


Hispanic Colonial Philippines


WHAT'S the big deal when Lapu-Lapu killed Magellan in 1521? Nothing much really. During Lapu-Lapu's time, Mactan was strictly tribal. Think small, gid. There were no big ideas such as nationalism or geopolitics.

Lapu-Lapu was simply, the local siga-siga and Magellan was the culture-shocked Westerner, a native first-timer in the exotic east. We lionize Lapu-Lapu as a hero and nationalist. Ang totoo, mayabang lang si Lapu-Lapu. But this defeat of a foreign invader, did not make a Filipino nation. The timing was wrong. And don't you believe that bull that Spanish explorers came to find spices of the East to improve the taste of their bland cuisine. Their hidden agenda was to spread their kingdom through colonization, the euphemism for land grabbing.


Hispanic Colonial Philippines


During the 333 years of Spanish rule (1565-1898), hundreds of rebellions were waged by native firebrands in many parts of the archipelago. Not one succeeded. Our rebels were either caught, garotted, or simply ignored by the Commandante as nuisances. Puro malas!

The execution of Rizal in 1896 was a traumatic experience for Filipinos. Those who read Rizal's Fili and Noli were incensed by the abuses of the church and state regime of the Spaniards. Emotions ran high, from Aparri to Jolo. The critical mass needed for nationhood was formed. At last we could rebel as a people, as anation.

The Katipunan did their battle heroics, originally led by the firebrand Bonifacio and later on by the crafty Aguinaldo. With more Katipunan charges (Sugod mga Kapatid), freedom seemed possible. Between 1897 and 1899, stealth, betrayal, and skullduggery bedeviled our prospect for independence. The Aguinaldo and Bonifacio factions engaged in an ugly
infighting (the talangka mentality) resulting in the execution of Bonifacio.



Hispanic Colonial Philippines

Meantime, an American Admiral named Dewey entered Manila Bay and defeated a luckluster Spanish navy. Aguinaldo reneged on the pact of  Biak na bato. He resumed the
revolution by proclaiming the Philippine Independence in Kawit. June 12. From whom? We are still under the Americans & Spaniards at that time.

Meanwhile, American and Spanish soldiers held a "moromoro" battle in Intramuros with the Spaniards surrendering. Aguinaldo's republic and his KKK patriots were left out and ignored. Naisahan tayo... Minalas na naman.

The Filipino-American War broke out. Tall American soldiers looking like Clark Gable chased and battled the outlawed Filipino revolutionaries, ending in thecapture of Aguinaldo in Isabela. Thanks to the mercenaries from Macabebe. This is the second time those Macabebe turn in their own kind first with theSpaniards. This was the mother of all kamalasan..

At that time, our population was 8 million. The gap between the rich and the poor was estimated at 30% middle-class and rich, 70% low-class and rural poor.

During the Commonwealth period (1901-1941), which followed, there were lots of learning on democratic principles, its structure and governance. Technology transfers were done on Constitutional Rights, Public Education, Transportation, Health, International Trade and Industrialization. The Americans turned out to be good tutors. Filipinos also went crazy over American brand products like Libby's corned beef and Portola sardines, Hershey's Kisses and Wrigley's chewing gum, Camel cigarettes and Model T Ford for the hacienderos of Pampanga and Iloilo .

Hollywood films made Pinoy males fantasize on Jean Harlow, Betty Grable, and Mae West. Thus, Filipino colonial mentality began. We fondly called this period Peace Time. By the way, American troops massacred innocent people in Balangiga. Mga hayop din pala!


Japanese-Occupied Philippines


1941. Disaster! World War II! After attacking Pearl Harbor , the Japanese army invaded our country defeating the combined American and Filipino forces (USAFFE). General McArthur, the proud and handsome Army chief, fled to Australia at the height of the battle. Then the Filipinos march to Bataan as the prisoner in the Death March.

For four miserable years we suffered the sadism of the Japanese militarists rule. Torture, famine, and death were for us, the order of the day.. Kawawa. Malas na malas!


Post Word War II Philippines

The American forces returned in 1945 to liberate the country. McArthur, General superiority complex himself, sporting Ray Ban sunglassesd corncob pipe swaggered back to Manila . Piqued at his humiliation in 1941, McArthur ordered the bombing and shelling of  Manila till kingdom come. So he can get back at Japs for wrecking his R&R place in Asia . Malas na naman.

The whole-wide expanse South of  Pasig - from Post Office to Vito Cruz, including all of Intramuros - was pulverized. Manila was the most destroyed city of  World War II next to Tokyo . Our culture, our heritage, and historical assets (seven beautiful churches in Intramuros, hundreds of elegant Art Deco and neo-classical architecture in Paco) were sacrificed recklessly and completely erased from the face of the earth. Sayang na sayang!


Philippines Run Like Hell By the Filipino Oligarchs


In 1946, we gained our Independence from the Americans. We were a free nation at last! A true Independence day for us, July 4th 1946 not the June 12th that Aguinaldo declared and Marcos celebrated. We had enough exposure and lessons on how to govern a democratic country, the first in Asia . Our population was 17 million. The dollar exchange was US$1 to P2.

But there was still no peace from 1947 to 1966. A widespread communist rebellion led by Taruc, the Lava brothers, and its armed guerillas called Hukbalahap (Supposed to be Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon) wage bloody war with government troops and turn out to be nothing but bandits
in disguise. Filipinos killed kapwa Filipinos. Malas na naman!

Our politicians and bureaucrats learned to engage in graft and corruption (What are we in power for?) - such as the war surplus bribery, the Tambobong wheeler-dealing and the Namarco scam. Talo nanaman!

Six presidents were elected to manage the country from 1947 to 1972, under the democratic system. They were Presidents Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, and Marcos.

Economists looked back to the decades of the 50s and 60s as the best years of the Philippine economy, surpassing Asian countries. The nostalgia was naiveté, a useless ego-tripping. The gap between the rich and the poor remained big. 30% middle-class and rich, 70% low- class, rural and urban poor. We were 27 million people. US$1 was to P4.


Martial Law


During the late 60's, the Maoist communists led by Commander Dante intensified its drive to overthrow the government.. Marcos added fuel to the fire by creating a communist spook. Violence and mayhem rule the streets. The youth went up in arms! Martial Law was declared in 1972 and Marcos became dictator. Freedomof assembly and expression went out of the window..

What followed were years of dictatorial abuse, crony capitalism, shackled free enterprise, near economic collapse and a demoralized middle class. The gap between the rich (30%) and poor (70%) remained in a quagmire. Pareho rin pala ang situation.

Our population was 40 million. Exchange rate was US$1 to P7.. Kawawang kawawa! Malas na malas! In 1983, Ninoy Aquino, Marcos' exiled arch rival, was assassinated upon his return. Push came to shove. Cardinal Sin engaged on the people on to protest. Outrage, self- pity, shame and fury raged and rumbled like a tidal wave, culminating in the incredible People Power Revolution. The very sick and obstinate Marcos fled (hijacked by Americans from Clark) to Hawaii (sounds like Paoay) where he died. His alleged millions of stolen dollars intact and unresolved.. Up to now... Peso to dollar exchange is now US$1 to P20.



EDSA People Power and Incompetent Cory Aquino

But People Power was our shining glory! The whole world applauded our saintly courage, our dignified defiance, our bloodless solution to expel a dictator. We were the toast of all freedom-loving countries, the envy of all oppressed people. In 1986, we placed Cory Aquino, Ninoy's widow, in Malacañang. She was virtuous, sincere and full of good intentions for the country. But what happens under Cory?

An endless brown out and living in a portable generators is a must and monopolized by Cory's relatives who threw out her Energy Department down the Pasig River . The land reform she professed and promised was going good at first, but after she found out her Hacienda Luisita will be greatly affected, that program went down the Pasig River too!. No wonder that river is so polluted.

Coup attempts by Honasan, power struggle, political squabbles, and the infighting for juicy deals harassed the amateur Cory presidency. So nothing happened. No progress took place. The economy was still bad. The poor suffered more and more. Sure we got democracy back on its feet. But the Filipino resolve didn't happen. People Power pala was "ningas cogon" power.

Sayang na sayang! Tha gap between the rich and the poor remained at 30% (middle-class and rich), 70% (lower-class and rural/urban poor). Exchange rate was US$1 to P25. We were 55 million people.


FVR â€" A Brief Respite from Bad luck, till the Asian Bubble Hit


In 1992, Cory's choice, Fidel Ramos, West Pointer, soldier, and hero of the People Power won the presidency. He had the bearing, the single-mindedness and the vision to bring the country to a tiger economy status.. Ramos was a terrific salesman of the Philippines to the world. He was able to hype a climate of an economic ground. He removed barriers to progress. He was an apostle of privatization. His mantra was, less government, more private sector! Fidel hit the right note and the economy went on a roll. Fidel wanted to run for reelection but failed to swing the cha-cha (an idiotic acronym for Constitutional Change) so he could run again.

In 1997, the Asian economic crises struck, triggered by a balloon burst of the hyper-speculative Bangkok economy. The financial debacle created a disastrous effects in the investment institutions of Manila, Jakarta , Kuala Lumpur , Hong Kong, Seoul , and Taiwan . All the Ramos gains evaporated into thin air. Malas na naman! The poor, specially Mang Pandoy, were poorer than ever.



Erap â€" Hell yeah

1998 was showbiz time! The Erap para sa mahirap show opened to the chagrin of Makati Business Club.. Pasensya na po kayo, mga elitists. Democracy is also weird. The choice of the masa must be respected.

Catastrophe! Chavit Singson exploded jueteng bombs! For days on end, a nation sick in the stomach, sat through primetime TV aghast at watching the bizarre drama of alleged bribery, gambling, drunkenness, womanizing, deceit, and corruption. A lantern-jawed witness and a sexy intelligence "asset" hogged the witness stand.

Viewing the scandals on TV was like watching dogs mating in the public square. It's embarrassing but you can't take your eyes of them.

The impeachment trial serialized on TV was riveting. The defense lawyers, some wearing a canine sneer (ngiting aso) insulted our intelligence often. (Lokohin n'yo ang lelang n'yo). The whole country was stinking to high heavens.. The prosecution produced its own witnesses - Clarissa Ocampo, Emma Lim, Carmencita Itchon and many others.

Idols with feet of clay fell crashing into the dust. Those who voted against opening the enveloped were legalese, procedural, and sounding intellectually brilliant. Also heartless and thick-skinned. They couldn't fathom the heartbeat of the nation. Cardinal Sin, aging and sickly, called the people again.. It was People Power II!

Same humongous and collective umbrage, same brinkmanship, and same staccato prayers! Generals Reyes and Villanueva simply joined the mammoth EDSA crowd. No US jets from Clark this time. Erap was out! Gloria was in!


Gloria, Garci, Guns, Goons, Gold


Hope springs eternal. Malacañang regained its honor and dignity. Protocol was observed. Absurdity was gone. Grammatical English was back. Now the first gentleman should have been named Mr. Pakyao, he has the monopoly of the graft behind Gloria's back.

2001. More catastrophies! The peso plummeted to a horrifying US$1 to P51. The Abu Sayyaf (extremist ideologues? Or mindless barbarians) were into kidnapping and terrorism, gaining worldwide notoriety.. Businesses are still closing shop. Thousands of workers are being retrenched. Prices of food and gasoline are very high. (Galunggong is P80 per kilo!) Our streets became permanent garbage dumps. Maggots multiply to spread disease. Our communities stink.

Again, the whole nation was witnessing sickening crimes attributed to people in the government. Talo na naman! We are now 75 million people but the gap between the rich, 30% (middle-class and rich), 70% (lower-class and rural/urban poor) remains the same for one century.

When will this end? It's been more than 350 years since Lapu's- Lapu's victory, 100 years since Rizal martyrdom and we're nowhere as a people, as a nation. Malas pa rin!

Some wise guy said the Filipino is a damaged culture. Bully! And what do you call other foreigners. They used slaves in their plantations, and landgrabbed from the natives! What should we call such culture? Predatory Culture? Bully Culture? What about another country? How many countries did it put under the barrel of its gunships, so they could gloat that the sun never sets on their empire?" What shall we call this culture? Sahib culture? Gunga Din culture? C'mon, give us a break!


Damaged Culture or Plain Malas?


We Filipinos have strengths and endearing values. We are Christians, God-fearing, and peace-loving. We are patient and tolerant (matiisin to a fault). We are musical. We sing our blues away. We have a sense of humor. (We concoct and text Imelda hyperboles and Erap malapropism) . We learn fast because we are bilingual and highly educated.. We've got thousands of MBA's and PhD's in economics and management from AIM, WHARTON, HARVARD, UCLA, etc (most of them now overseas).

We've got a surplus of technocrats for nation-building. . We want to work if there are vacancies. We want to go into business if we have the capital. We want to obey the law if the law is being enforced.
We want to live and die here, if there is peace and order.

But, but, and but. We have many shortcomings. We are immature in our politics. Given a choice on whom to elect: a handsome pabling movie star or an honest and brilliant political scientist, we'll vote for the movie star.

No brainer tayo dito. Talo! We have many stupidities. Like dogs, we pee (Bawal umihi dito) on walls and tires. Our driving is suicidal. Our service quality is inferior.

Clerks at City Hall act arrogant. Sales ladies at department stores don't know their product features. No exchange No return even if it is defective, you have to argue for it. Tourists get mugged by thugs in uniform. Police lay traps so they can catch you and ask for bribe. What's wrong with us? We don't have a great leader. And good governance. (In Singapore , Lee Kwan Yu did it. The constituency profile is similar to Filipinos). Admittedly, this country is impossible, tiresome, and frustrating.

But it's the only country we've got. We live and die here.. Will we ever see the dawn?

Dios na mahabagin, Kailan pa kaya? Ubos na ang aming luha. Katog na ang aming mga tuhod. Tuyot na ang aming utak. Hingal na ang aming puso.
Dios na mahabagin, isalba Mo po kami. Hindi po kami talunan. At lalo pong hindi kami tanga. Sunod-sunod lang po ang malas.

NOTE:
Dati Kastila, Amerikano, Insik, Hapon at ngayon may Koreano pa.

Mahabagin Diyos, Nasaan Ka PINOY ??"



http://antipinoy.com/the-malas-country/

Freedom to Choose   

God leaves us free to accept or reject his love, and we make that choice every day, building on the choice we made the day before. 

Ethan Bortnick: will be on oprah

Ikaw pod Inday buntis -pag-amping!

kadtong mga alalay ni Anhing Ilokano, gusto kining awaton;

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St. Louise de Marillac
(d. 1660)

Louise, born near Meux, France, lost her mother when she was still a child, her beloved father when she was but 15. Her desire to become a nun was discouraged by her confessor, and a marriage was arranged. One son was born of this union. But she soon found herself nursing her beloved husband through a long illness that finally led to his death.
Louise was fortunate to have a wise and sympathetic counselor, St. Francis de Sales, and then his friend, the Bishop of Belley, France. Both of these men were available to her only periodically. But from an interior illumination she understood that she was to undertake a great work under the guidance of another person she had not yet met. This was the holy priest M. Vincent, later to be known as St. Vincent de Paul.

At first he was reluctant to be her confessor, busy as he was with his "Confraternities of Charity." Members were aristocratic ladies of charity who were helping him nurse the poor and look after neglected children, a real need of the day. But the ladies were busy with many of their own concerns and duties. His work needed many more helpers, especially ones who were peasants themselves and therefore close to the poor and could win their hearts. He also needed someone who could teach them and organize them.

Only over a long period of time, as Vincent de Paul became more acquainted with Louise, did he come to realize that she was the answer to his prayers. She was intelligent, self-effacing and had physical strength and endurance that belied her continuing feeble health. The missions he sent her on eventually led to four simple young women joining her. Her rented home in Paris became the training center for those accepted for the service of the sick and poor. Growth was rapid and soon there was need of a so-called rule of life, which Louise herself, under the guidance of Vincent, drew up for the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (though he preferred "Daughters" of Charity).

He had always been slow and prudent in his dealings with Louise and the new group. He said that he had never had any idea of starting a new community, that it was God who did everything. "Your convent," he said, "will be the house of the sick; your cell, a hired room; your chapel, the parish church; your cloister, the streets of the city or the wards of the hospital." Their dress was to be that of the peasant women. It was not until years later that Vincent de Paul would finally permit four of the women to take annual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. It was still more years before the company would be formally approved by Rome and placed under the direction of Vincent's own congregation of priests.

Many of the young women were illiterate and it was with reluctance that the new community undertook the care of neglected children. Louise was busy helping wherever needed despite her poor health. She traveled throughout France, establishing her community members in hospitals, orphanages and other institutions. At her death on March 15, 1660, the congregation had more than 40 houses in France. Six months later St. Vincent de Paul followed her in death.

Louise de Marillac was canonized in 1934 and declared patroness of social workers in 1960.



Comment:

In Louise’s day, serving the needs of the poor was usually a luxury only fine ladies could afford. Her mentor, St. Vincent de Paul, wisely realized that women of peasant stock could reach poor people more effectively, and the Sisters of Charity were born under her leadership. Today that Order continues to nurse the sick and aging and provide refuge for orphans. Many of its members are social workers toiling under Louise’s patronage. The rest of us must share her concern for the disadvantaged.


Patron Saint of:

Social workers

Open Your Heart

How important it is to avoid being upset by the trials and troubles of this life, for these things always tend to contract the heart rather than opening it up to trust God.

St. Leander of Seville
(c. 550-600)


The next time you recite the Nicene Creed at Mass, think of today’s saint. For it was Leander of Seville who, as bishop, introduced the practice in the sixth century. He saw it as a way to help reinforce the faith of his people and as an antidote against the heresy of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. By the end of his life, Leander had helped Christianity flourish in Spain at a time of political and religious upheaval.
Leander’s own family was heavily influenced by Arianism, but he himself grew up to be a fervent Christian. He entered a monastery as a young man and spent three years in prayer and study. At the end of that tranquil period he was made a bishop. For the rest of his life he worked strenuously to fight against heresy. The death of the anti-Christian king in 586 helped Leander’s cause. He and the new king worked hand in hand to restore orthodoxy and a renewed sense of morality. Leander succeeded in persuading many Arian bishops to change their loyalties.

Minute Meditations
Life of Faith   

We sustain our love by growing older in close company with the object of our love. This is true of marriage, and it’s true of our life of faith. 

korek, she is she!

knowing that our country is tuta of America, she will ask the permission of Obama.

Lipay ko nakakita kang Bulak junior, gibunjagan na!


Bulak senior, na gwapa ka ug samot Day! Bujag.

All happy people, nice to see you.


Bulak dili makita ang rasa sa Bol-anon.

you look great with your sweet smile.


daghang fans si Bulak junior.




Seeing the table arrangements, that means you invited lots of friends. It must be a wonderful day for the rest of the family. thanks for sharing the pictures Inday Bulak.  

Sad to hear the   early demise of this young lad, may he rest in peace and may the parents finds comfort in the Lord´s  grace in times like this.

Vibrator maybe, since men´s mood swings, this is a good alternative.