MikeLigalig.com

Realising he is going to be left alone, Ghost holds the door open and pleads with his eyes.

He detailed in picture form the process he has to go through every morning:


Wait by the door and hope today is not a day that his owner has to leave.

Saddest Cat In The World Can’t Handle His Owner Leaving For Work

05 November 2015

No one likes heading out to work in the morning but there is no way we could take one step out of the door if we had a cat like Ghost.

The Himalayan moggy is officially the saddest cat in the world - whenever he’s left on his own for the day.

His owner, Jes Klass, posted pictures on Imgur of Ghost’s crestfallen face whenever he has to go out to earn a wage.

The cat’s sad eyes say it all - but he also physically tries to hold the door open whenever Jes goes out.

Mighty Mutts, which trains dogs and works with RDM, shared an image of Lana online with the hopes it might encourage someone to foster or adopt her. In the heartbreaking photo, Lana appears despondent as she holds her head down, leaning against the wall in her boarding kennel.

The photo of Lana had quickly gone viral, urging hundreds of people to reach out and learn more about her.

Lana now has a new foster home and, according to a post on the Mighty Mutts Facebook page, “Lana has finally come out of her shell and settled in with her new foster mom.”


(Photo credit: Facebook / Mighty Mutts)

The post added, “The response from the world, to help Lana find her home has been nothing but amazing!”
It just goes to show that with a little love and patience, even the most heartbroken dogs can bounce back.

ca.news.yahoo.com

Unfortunately, Lana had developed some behavioural issues, and the rescue family couldn’t have an aggressive dog around their young children. As a result, Lana was sent back to the organization one year after she was adopted.

After returning to the organization, the neglect and rejection Lana endured at such a young age began to affect her tremendously. According to Life With Dogs, Lana became depressed and refused to socialize with the rescue workers.

The shelter staff became very concerned about Lana’s mental health.

‘Saddest dog in the world’ finally has a reason to smile again

By Ainsley Smith | Good News â€" Tue, 3 Nov, 2015


(Photo credit: Facebook / Mighty Mutts)

Her photo may just break your heart, but the story of the world’s saddest dog has a wonderfully happy ending.

Lana â€" a one-and-a-half-year-old lab mix â€" is a foster dog with Rescue Dogs Match (RDM) in Toronto, Ont. She originally joined their care when she was just a puppy after living in disheartening circumstances, Life With Dogs reports.

Lana arrived at the shelter with her mother and siblings and after only a short stay with the organization, they had a new home to look forward to.

mao nay gitawag nga emotional blackmail.  grow up, kid.

mas maayo pa.  (hinumdom ka sa kantang 'kun ako adunay pako' sa imong kagahapon?  translation sa 'if i had the wings of a dove', hahaha!)  our law enforcers have better things to do than rescuing people high on drugs.  they want the high, then let them fly high.

Reaffirming Support

In their first ever formal meeting on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told South Korean Prime Minister Park Geun Hye that the South China Sea is a matter of common concern for international society. He said that the U.S. actions were in line with international law, adding that he supported them and that he would like to cooperate with the U.S. and South Korea to maintain free, open and peaceful seas.

"We will continue to fully examine how situations in the South China Sea will impact Japan’s security and what contributions Japan should make for the stability of this region," Nakatani told reporters last week. He reaffirmed Japan’s support for the U.S. operation after a Nov. 3 meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

Nakatani was in Vietnam on Thursday for talks with his Vietnamese counterpart. His visit coincides with that of Chinese President Xi Jinping to one of the countries in the web of overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.

bloomberg.com

China Warns Japan Not to Complicate South China Sea Situation

Isabel Reynolds
November 5, 2015


Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer ship Kurama, left, leads a troop of vessels during a review at Sagami Bay, Japan, on Oct. 18, 2015. Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg

    Nations' defense ministers meet on sidelines of Asean event

    Japanese officials cagey on role of country's armed forces

Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan urged his Japanese counterpart not to take any actions that might complicate the situation in the South China Sea, saying the waters were not an issue between the two countries.

Chang made the remarks, reported by China’s official Xinhua news agency Wednesday, in a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on the sidelines of a conference of Southeast Asian defense ministers in Kuala Lumpur. The gathering was overshadowed by disputes over the waters after the U.S. Navy last month sailed a warship to within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built by China, thus challenging its territorial claims.

While Japan is offering verbal support for the actions of its only treaty ally, officials have been cagey about what role the officially pacifist nation’s maritime forces could play in the South China Sea. China is Japan’s biggest trading partner and relations between the nations are thawing after turning their coldest in decades over a separate territorial dispute in the East China Sea.

"In legal terms, it’s possible to sail through because of the right of innocent passage," said retired vice-admiral Hiromi Takashima. "However, it is a major political problem, so if you ask whether Japan can actually do it, it’s difficult in terms of both the international and domestic situation."

a case of a dog who's more human than the human mother.  goosebumps here. 

hehe (sigh), super lang, ayaw na lang nang bratcat ha?

p.s. mahalon tawon nang tinuboan nga sinena.  denims kana.

panglabay lang ug lubi, kanor.  ayaw lang gyod burahii ang mga rescuers kay, na, imbis unggoy ka, mahimo na unya kang kalapati.

hinaot unta di na lang samoton ug katag aning mga lumalansar.  cayetano trying to make political capital out of it?  how opportunistic.  we're tired of legislators investigating.  they may as well get employed by the NBI.

kun christian ang babaye, latuson ba pod kaha?  kun naay kaugalingong laws (i.e. sharia law) ang muslims sa ato, can the iglesia ni cristo be far behind?  mag-unsa na lang kun naay criminal nga magdalidali ug balhin ug religion ug moingon nga covered sila sa laws sa ilang religion?   

atot ba uy.

salamat. tinuboan ra baya tawon nang akong sinena.

uy, wa na man koy photo nga makit-an ani nga thread.  all gone.!?

Fireball Over Bangkok Skies Shocks Drivers
03 November 2015

The streak of light is believed to be part of a meteor shower that's peaking in the next few days.

***
Incredible footage has emerged showing a "fireball meteor" dashing through the sky in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok Monday evening.

The Thai Astronomical Society confirmed on its Facebook page that the falling object was a bright-green meteor, explaining that the color resulted from its chemical composition.

"In terms of science, this event is very rare," the nonprofit added on its public page, which linked to dash-cam recordings of the event.

A fireball is another term for a very bright meteor, the American Meteor Society writes on its website, adding that the vast majority of fireballs occur over oceans and uninhabited regions, and that it is rare to detect one at night.

gma.yahoo.com

Establish tech-free time.

As Coyne and Kerner pointed out, establish time that is meant just for you and your partner. A dinner date is romantic because it allows a couple to spend time with each other, not with friends on Facebook.

Unfriend or unfollow each other on social media.

If you want to have something new and exciting to talk about at the end of the day, you may want to consider this option. While it is convenient to be each other’s friends and share each other’s photo albums, etc., unfriending is worth a try.

I haven’t done this but I make a conscious effort not to check my husband’s Facebook page so I get to hear directly from him exactly how his day went.

Technology has immensely changed the nature of relationships, making connections easier. The world has virtually become smaller. But there are things that should never change, especially the lasting connections that do not require a mobile phone.


lifestyle.inquirer.net

ILLUSTRATION BY ALBERT RODRIGUEZ

In an article on pphubbing, family therapist doctor Ian Kerner recommended the following:

Practice the art of casual conversation.

We live in an age when multitasking is the norm, but this skill is best applied in the workplace. At home, the priority should be one’s partner and the family.

Practice the art of small talk, looking directly into your partner’s eyes as you speak. Intimacy is not just about physical contact, but also emotional connection that you build with every word and interaction.

Making rules

If you answered “no” to all of the questions, congratulations! But I have a feeling you just often misplace your phone.

Brigham Young University psychologist Sarah Coyne, who was part of the technoference study, said there are ways to adapt to today’s technology without damaging one’s relationship.

One way is by making rulesâ€"when it is appropriate for couples to have their devices out.

Before saying you’re not pphubbing your partner, or others in your everyday life, here are questions to determine whether or not your phone usage is affecting your relationships.

1) Do you put your phone in a place where you can see it at all times when you are with your partner?

2) Do you check your phone during lulls in the conversation?

3) Do you check your phone when you are bored or every time you get a text or other notifications?

4) When having a meal with others (at home or in a restaurant) do you pull out and check your phone?

5) If your phone rings or beeps, do you pull it out and check, or glance at it, even if you are talking with someone?

6) Do you use your phone when you are on a date or with your romantic partner?

7) Do you use your phone in bed while your partner is present?

Disconnected

A third, more recent one, from Baylor University, Texas, confirmed what the first two studies suggestedâ€"that among couples, one who uses more technology than the other is more likely to have issues, ranging from “lower relationship satisfaction” to simply “feeling ignored and less secure.” In short, half of the couple feels disconnected to the relationship while the other is hooked on his/her mobile gadget.

The Baylor study included only 453 respondents, yet almost half, at 46 percent, claim that they have been pphubbed by their respective partners.

A second survey measured how much pphubbing was done by couples. Most of us are guilty of checking our phones “just for a second,” and in most cases this isn’t really a problem.

But according to Baylor University researcher Meredith David, “Findings suggest that the more often a couple’s time spent together is interrupted by the partner attending to his/her mobile phone, the less likely it is that the other is satisfied in the overall relationship.”

In 2013, Time magazine ran a story on Alex Haigh, an Australian who started an awareness campaign on pphubbing to stop people from prioritizing their phone over their companion.

Last year, two studies on the effects of cellular phones on a relationship were publishedâ€"one in the International Journal of Neurotherapy; the other, about “technoference” (a portmanteau on the words “technology” and “interference”), in the Psychology of Popular Media Culture journal.

MAMA DIARIES

Are you guilty of ‘pphubbing’? Or why it’s wise to unfriend your partner

By: Audrey Zubiri
Philippine Daily Inquirer
November 4th, 2015

GUESS what, I’ve got a new word for you today: “pphubbing.” Sounds weird, but you might unconsciously be practicing it.

Pphubbing puts together two or more different concepts or words into oneâ€"like the way we do with our favorite love teams. It is “partner phone snubbing,” or paying more attention to your phone over your significant other.

It sounds like a joke, easy enough to dismiss, but pphubbing and its effects on relationships have been the subject of studies and discussion the past few years.

i read the whole article through, including the comments from the madlang people.  i admire the spunk of triaz.  would that i could be as courageous as she is.  anyways, i hate the entry of cayetano.  calling for the heads of airport management?  come on, keep quiet.  would that you were not running for public office in the next election.  don't ride on this issue, new trapo.  let the nbi investigate, let the investigation take its course, but keep out, please.  it's tiring when you keep showing too much how you love your own voice.

this does not say if some raiders fainted because of sarin gas that may have emanated from those that they have raided...

whatchamatta, bai hubs?

Quote from: hubag bohol on November 03, 2015, 06:50:55 PM
He said Philippines can never be beholden to China either although Beijing is Manila’s largest trading partner in 2014.

“We are not a debtor to China,” Cuisia said.

yes!

don't take us for fools, councilor and congressman-wanna-be.  your name in those bottles is meant to stir name recall.  that's e-pal by any other name.

hatag, hatag.  no strings attached.  how's that for honesty in public service? 

where goest this, thus?  hinoon, sa mga kihaay karon, if i were in the position to use this, i would have second thoughts.  ma-issue na pod unya.

Quote from: Mulligan on April 04, 2011, 09:49:39 AM
Si Chongki ray nakadala ug camera.  Tua sa iya ang mao mao nga hulagway namo.   

Nia koy nakuha via cellphone.

While gahulat @ around 5:45 pm at the area.  Sabot alas 6 p.m.   



6 PM first casualty while gapa-abot   


Mga 6:30 pm yo no come ... 


6:40 PM still yo no come ... Sige nag tan-aw ang mga sexy na waitress sa ako. Order lang sa ko for another 1.  huhu

welcome back, mulligan!  kami tawon dinhi sobra pa sa ten cases of beer among nahurot while waiting for you to come back.  tuloy ang ligaya.

Following a stand-off between Chinese ships and the weak Philippine navy in 2012, China took control of a rich fishing ground called Scarborough Shoal that is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

Over the past year China has asserted its stance by rapidly converting tiny reefs into islands for facilities with military uses, including as many as three runways.

The tribunal -- set up in 1899 to resolve international disputes between countries -- stressed Thursday its ruling did not yet go to the heart of the merits of Manila's case, which was first filed in 2013.

A new hearing will now be held behind closed doors in The Hague, and a final decision is not expected until next year.


yahoo.com

As veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, the stance will put Beijing in a difficult diplomatic position if the court rules that it has violated one of the UN's own statutes.

Beijing insists it has sovereign rights to nearly all of the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which about a third of all the world's traded oil passes.

The disputed waters -- also claimed in part or whole by Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei -- have also become the stage for a tussle for regional dominance between Beijing and Washington, the world's two largest economic and military powers.

This week, the American USS Lassen guided missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the land formations claimed by China, sparking fury in Beijing.

But China has refused to participate in the proceedings, arguing that the case is about sovereignty and the court cannot rule on it.

"We will not participate and we will not accept the arbitration," Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters in Beijing.

"The ruling or the result of arbitration will not affect China's position," he added.

"It won't affect China's sovereignty rights and jurisdiction in the South China Sea, our rights will not be undermined."

Beijing slams tribunal decision on South China Sea row

AFP
30 October 2015


Beijing insists it has sovereign rights to nearly all of the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which about a third of all the world's traded oil passes. (AFP Photo/Parker Song)

China will disregard any findings by an international tribunal on a case brought by the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea, Beijing said Friday after the court decided to consider the action.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration -- which is more than a century old and based in The Hague -- ruled on Thursday that it did have jurisdiction on the issue.

Manila insists the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which the Philippines and China have both ratified, should be used to resolve the bitter territorial row over isolated reefs and islets, which has triggered growing international alarm.

the right direction to a moral victory, which may count for much in terms of world standing but not in terms of getting something material.  china has veto power in the UN, and UNCLOS is UN.  besides, as they say, when china comes, they stay.  the tibetans and uighurs know that.  the chinese greed knows no bounds as they keep on encroaching on land and sea around its boundaries.  as nothing good will ever come out of a wrong, it's the subsequent generations that may have to suffer their national karma. 

Quote from: islander on October 30, 2015, 06:37:28 PM
He concludes: “I don’t think the devil has upped his game. I just think more people are willing to play his game.”

oh-oh.

Demonic possession on the rise

Which is a good thing, as apparently Father Lampert gets at least a call a day from someone asking for an exorcism â€" from both Catholic and non-Catholics â€" and that interest in the occult is on the rise.

“Demonic possession is real, it does happen, but it is extremely rare. The rise in interest regarding evil and exorcism coincides with a drop in faith in God, especially in the Western world. People seem to be bored with our Christian roots and more interested in things associated with the occult.” 

He concludes: “I don’t think the devil has upped his game. I just think more people are willing to play his game.” Shudder!


www.yahoo.com

How do “possessed people” actually behave?

Another famous feature of exorcism movies is how the victims of demonic passion behave â€" from vomiting, uttering obscenities and doing strange things with crucifixes.

Father Lampert says that he uses a four point check list (what he calls “parlour tricks of the demon”) to determine satanic possession â€" and these tally rather closely with what we’ve seen on screen. They are: “(1) Speaking a language otherwise unknown to the individual, (2) strength beyond the normal capacity of the person, (3) knowledge about things that should be unknown by the person, such as naming the sins of the priest or others who are present, and (4) aversion to sacred things â€" Bible, crucifix, holy water, etc.”

Even if many of the details in these films are actually closer to the truth than we thought, Father Lampert thinks that these movies usually miss the point.

“I think there are those people who get so caught up in the sensationalism that they become either scared or convinced they are possessed,” he said. “People need to be fascinated more with their relationship with God as opposed to the antics of evil spirits.”

He thinks the public have based their expectations about what exorcisms are like on these films, but insists that priests themselves, “stick to the official rite of the Church and don’t alibi in any way.” 

The famous ending of The Exorcist is kind of realistic

For example, the most famous demon possession scene of all is of course in The Exorcist â€" which saw Max von Sydow and Jason Miller play priests battling Satan in Linda Blair’s bedroom on a stormy night.

The reality would have been somewhat different, says Father Lampert. “An exorcism always takes place in a sacred space, such as a church or chapel, but never in a darkened house at the end of the street at night during a storm!”

However the iconic Exorcist line â€" “The power of Christ compels you!” â€" does actually get used in real life. Priests will use certain prayers from the Catholic Church’s Official Rite of Exorcism, but they mix things up with “commands to the demon or demons to depart in the name of Jesus.”


‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ (Everett)

We spoke to Father Vincent Lampert, one of only 50-odd officially sanctioned real-life exorcists working in America (he trained in Rome). He told us the truth behind the swivelling heads. 

“Some movies are better than others,” he told Yahoo! Movies. “The Exorcism of Emily Rose is pretty accurate.” 

But he admits that some of the details you see in these films are completely made up â€" but you’d be surprised which ones aren’t.

A Real-Life Exorcist Fact-Checks Some Famous Demon-Haunted Horror Movies

Yahoo Movies UK
October 29, 2015


‘The Exorcist’ (Everett)

With Halloween upon us, expect to see the likes of The Exorcist, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Rite on our TV screens over the coming days.

These demonic possession flicks are classics of the genre, but how close to reality are they?

better still, ang mag-atubangay sa battlefield kadto untang mga signatories to the declaration of war.

this reminds me of our "honorary son" in germany in the late 1990s. for his furlough (if i'm not mistaken, the choice was either to serve in the civil service or the military for a year, as required, before going to university), he chose military service.  and you'll be assigned to bosnia?  i asked.  his answer: if they assign me there, i might as well go to the philippines for a vacation.  if chancellor kohl wants war, he goes there himself.

kana bang mamaligyaay... kaayo ra unta kun silay pangitaon ug sundon sa mga bala nga ilang binaligya, something like a manufacturer-seeking missile ba.

as suggested by fr chic aka chicogon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gPAbD43fTI

just watched it.  have goosebumps here.  i couldn't get over this.

Quote from: chicogon on October 30, 2015, 03:27:49 AM
I checked a website link on this thread, the source site, but I could find a date when it was published. Morag recent na ang upload sa story, dili jud since the time nga nahitabo. I guess because of the repression? Nevertheless, mora na nuon pod ni sa Miracle of the Bread sa Beunos Aires when Pope Francis was still a priest or a local bishop. Pero ang ilaha were recorded in video while ours only in print or social media. Dili kaha ma questionable ang historicity or authenticitu sa panghitabo? Realize some of the "facts" (kuno) are relayed in the 3rd person, not the persons themselves, e.g., bishops on their deathbed claimed they were coerced??? (See Miracle of Buenos Aires on YouTube)

i think that because our local church authorities are giving this a look-see again, it could only mean that they have the necessary documents to work on.  it may take ages and the result could go either way.  still, as in the holy face and sindonic cross devotion, there's no stopping the faithful from believing. that's why i paid much attention to this:

Quote from: islander on October 29, 2015, 12:07:43 AM
Catholic belief

"According to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, the era of public revelation ended with the death of the last living Apostle.

A Marian apparition, if deemed genuine by Church authority, is treated as private revelation that may emphasize some facet of the received public revelation for a specific purpose, but it can never add anything new to the deposit of faith.

The Church may pronounce an apparition as worthy of belief, but belief is never required by divine faith.

beautiful!

Quote from: chicogon on October 30, 2015, 03:19:54 AM
I'm glad you mentioned this topic on FB, unfortunately I'm reading this thread on my iphone unya di jud makaya sa akong mata basahon tanan kay gamay kaayo ang letters hehe. Di madag anteojos. It's a beautiful and interesting phenomenon kept mum for a looooong time. Motoo kog ngani tungod kay I had a similar experience in early (not late) 1960's but similar it remained very personal until 1980 when I started using my story as a personal testimony. Which by the way helped me in my discernment to proceed to Theology for the priesthood. I would have been just as happy fighting for freedom as an underground activist in 1980 but something was calling me to reconsider priesthood hehehe

your personal epiphany? this is great. it looks like singing and sharing the faith can inspire change in society more than running to the mountains or landing in jail can. pinangga gyod diay ka sa ginoo.

The announcement from The Hague noted that the following 10 findings or conclusions of the tribunal were all “unanimous decisions.”

1. FINDS that the Tribunal was properly constituted in accordance with Annex VII to the Convention.

2. FINDS that China’s non-appearance in these proceedings does not deprive the Tribunal of jurisdiction.

3. FINDS that the Philippines’ act of initiating this arbitration did not constitute an abuse of process.

4. FINDS that there is no indispensable third party whose absence deprives the Tribunal of jurisdiction.

5. FINDS that the 2002 Chinaâ€"ASEAN Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea, the joint statements of the Parties referred to in paragraphs 231 to 232 of this Award, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and the Convention on Biological Diversity, do not preclude, under Articles 281 or 282 of the Convention, recourse to the compulsory dispute settlement procedures available under Section 2 of Part XV of the Convention.

6. FINDS that the Parties have exchanged views as required by Article 283 of the Convention.

7. FINDS that the Tribunal has jurisdiction to consider the Philippines’ Submissions No. 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, and 13, subject to the conditions noted in paragraphs 400, 401, 403, 404, 407, 408, and 410 of this Award.

8. FINDS that a determination of whether the Tribunal has jurisdiction to consider the Philippines’ Submissions No. 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 12, and 14 would involve consideration of issues that do not possess an exclusively preliminary character, and accordingly RESERVES consideration of its jurisdiction to rule on Submissions No. 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 12, and 14 to the merits phase.

9. DIRECTS the Philippines to clarify the content and narrow the scope of its Submission 15 and RESERVES consideration of its jurisdiction over Submission No. 15 to the merits phase.

10. RESERVES for further consideration and directions all issues not decided in this Award.

The panel is led by Judge Thomas A. Mensah of Ghana as President of the Tribunal; its members include Judges Jean-Pierre Cot (France), Stanislaw Pawlak (Poland), and Rüdiger Wolfrum (Germany), and Prof. Alfred Soons (Netherlands). JN


newsinfo.inquirer.net

“This arbitration concerns the role of ‘historic rights’ and the source of maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, the status of certain maritime features in the South China Sea and the maritime entitlements they are capable of generating, and the lawfulness of certain actions by China in the South China Sea that are alleged by the Philippines to violate the Convention.”

The panel concluded that it had jurisdiction over the case.

“The Tribunal’s Award of today’s date is unanimous and concerns only whether the Tribunal has jurisdiction to consider the Philippines’ claims and whether such claims are admissible. The Award does not decide any aspect of the merits of the Parties’ dispute. In its Award, the Tribunal has held that both the Philippines and China are parties to the Convention and bound by its provisions on the settlement of disputes. The Tribunal has also held that China’s decision not to participate in these proceedings does not deprive the Tribunal of jurisdiction and that the Philippines’ decision to commence arbitration unilaterally was not an abuse of the Convention’s dispute settlement procedures.”

The tribunal expects to “render its Award on the merits and remaining jurisdictional issues in 2016.”

Philippines scores against China in UN arbitration

By: Matikas Santos
INQUIRER.net
October 30th, 2015

The Philippines scored a victory at the international Arbitral Tribunal after the panel unanimously decided Thursday that it has jurisdiction over the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines involving parts of the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea.)

The decision means that the tribunal, convened under the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), will hold further hearings to settle the increasingly contentious dispute.

A nine-page press release issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration “on behalf of the Arbitral Tribunal in the Philippines v. China arbitration” clarified that the dispute was not about sovereignty, as China has claimed.

nangabong uroy ni duterte ug mindanao voters si oondoy. di gyod ko mosalig aning ambisyosong kabaw.

How can I find out more?

Some of the most detailed discussion of the South China Sea can be found on the South Sea Conversations(1) website, run by Andrew Chubb an Australian academic. The South China Sea website(2) has a comprehensive set of maps of the conflicting territorial claims. This BBC summary(3) has a concise timeline of events and a useful map of the UNCLOS-based division of the Spratlys, compared with the extent of Chinese territorial claims. The European Union Institute for Security Studies(4) produced this issue brief last year on the ecological consequences for the South China Sea.


theguardian.com

links suggested by the authors for further references:

(1)  https://southseaconversations.wordpress.com/about/
(2)  http://www.southchinasea.org/maps/territorial-claims-maps/
(3)  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13748349
(4)  http://www.iss.europa.eu/uploads/media/Alert_30_South_China_Sea.pdf

What will China do next?

It is unclear how China will respond to the US navy’s foray into what it claims as its territorial waters. Earlier in October China’s foreign ministry said it would “never allow any country to violate” its interests in the South China Sea. On Tuesday, Beijing said it had warned the US warship to leave the area and accused Washington of launching “provocative actions” in the region. However, there was little sign of a more robust military response.

Rory Medcalf, a South China Sea expert from the Australian National University, said that by deploying one of its most powerful vessels to the region, the US appeared to have called China’s bluff.

“It looks like Chinese forces have not been given the authority to make that kind of challenge so this will play quite badly for China’s self-made reputation as being determined to face off any American presence,” he said.

Medcalf said Xi’s most sensible move now would be to downplay the significance of the US mission in China’s domestic media. “The more dangerous thing for him would be to express public outrage at the unacceptable US behaviour because that would oblige him to take … some kind of retaliatory action.”

China’s initial reaction â€" angry in style but muted in content â€" appeared to suggest it would follow that advice.

What are the issues?

On one level, this is a struggle over natural resources. There are believed to be vast oil and gas fields beneath the sea bed, as well as substantial fisheries. The Spratlys and Paracels also straddle one of the world’s busiest shipping channels. It is also about what kind of world power China is going to be under its president, Xi Jinping, who has an interpretation of China’s global role that puts naval strength at the forefront. In a recently published defence policy doctrine, Beijing puts great emphasis on its burgeoning navy and its mission to “safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and maintain security and stability along China’s periphery”.

There are legal issues, but China’s standing is weak. Other countries’ have equally strong, if not stronger, historical claims. Beijing is also ignoring the UN Convention on Law of the Sea and dodging multilateral negotiated solutions, preferring to create “facts on the sea”. That raises the question of how far Washington is prepared to go in calling China’s bluff. Its decision earlier this year to fly over the Spratlys to film the island-building work was intended to galvanise its allies into concerted action to counter Beijing’s moves, but the states of the region are looking to the US to take the lead in flexing military muscle on their behalf. Tuesday’s naval mission indicated that Barack Obama and Xi Jinping found little common ground during recent talks about the situation in the South China Sea and that Washington now feels it is time to up the ante.

Finally, the geopolitical competition is a disaster for a delicate ecosystem of coral reefs and tropical sealife, one of the richest and most diverse in the world.

How did this happen?

Control over the South China Sea and its reefs has swung violently over the centuries with the rise and fall of empires, leaving the issue of ownership in the 21st century hazy at best. China’s claims on the Spratlys and the Paracel islands to the north, are based more on historic settlement rather than geographical proximity. As the regime in Beijing has built up its long-distance “blue water” navy it has become increasingly assertive, bolstering its claims with accelerating construction work, and shrugging off calls for a regional negotiation settlement on the Spratlys’ future.

The other claimant nations have maintained outposts on the reefs, but China has raised the stakes by seeking to change the geography with significant man-made islands. In May 2015, US officials claimed the Chinese had added 2,000 acres to their outposts in the previous 18 months, much of it since January.

The US has grown increasingly alarmed at Chinese maritime muscle-flexing, combined with the lack of cohesion among America’s allies in the region, and has decided to challenge Beijing’s claims more directly on water and in the air. Tuesday’s freedom of navigation operation near the Spratly archipelago represents the first such mission near territory claimed by China in the South China Sea since 2012.

South China Sea
The Guardian briefing

How China's artificial islands led to tension in the South China Sea

Beijing is attempting to build artificial islands, while other states in the region are looking to the US to flex its military muscle on their behalf


A satellite image of an airstrip under construction in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Photograph: Digital Globe/AFP/Getty

Julian Borger in London and Tom Phillips in Beijing
Tuesday 27 October 2015

What’s the story?

Over the last two years China has dramatically stepped up land reclamation work on reefs and atolls it claims in the Spratly Island chain in the South China Sea, also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. Chinese ships have been dredging new harbours, while cranes have been erected in an attempt to build artificial islands atop submerged reefs. There is evidence of airstrips being built. The US has protested that the work is illegal and destabilising and for months the Pentagon has been pushing the White House to take a firmer stance.

Washington has said it will ignore any Chinese claim for territorial waters based on new man-made islands, and has flown a surveillance plane with television crews to film the dredging work, sparking bitter Chinese complaints and dark talk in the Chinese press about a coming conflict.

On Tuesday, the US upped the ante once again by deploying a warship to sail through a 12-nautical mile zone around two artificial islands in the archipelago. China responded by accusing the US of “provocative actions” â€" but there was no immediate sign of any military response from Beijing.

Townshend said the US mission may have temporarily strengthened Washington’s hand. “[But] there’s an element of you win the battle but you lose the war if actually these freedom of navigation missions make China more determined to militarise these islands,” he added.

“These islands are not going away â€" unless global warming takes them out.”


theguardian.com

Washington hoped Tuesday’s mission would encourage Beijing to step back from its controversial island building campaign, which China claims is for civilian purposes but critics believe is an attempt to use military power to cement its grip over the region.

However, Townshend warned that sending US warships to the South China Sea could have the opposite effect.

“I think these freedom of navigation missions may play into the hands of the hardliners in the [Chinese] military or in the regime … It will be harder for moderates in the regime to say no to People’s Liberation Army hawks and others if the Americans are [seen as] being provocative.”

China’s military buildup in the South China Sea â€" including the construction of a 3km runway capable of supporting fighter jets and transport planes â€" has become a major source of tension between Beijing and Washington.

China claims most of the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest sea lanes, although Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Beijing says the islands will have mainly civilian uses as well as undefined defence purposes.

But satellite photographs have shown the construction of three military-length airstrips by China in the Spratlys, including one each on Mischief and Subi reefs.

“We will take any measures necessary to safeguard our security.”

Lu Kang, a foreign ministry spokesperson, said China would “resolutely respond” to any deliberate provocations but declined to be drawn on any potential military response.

“I advise the US not to make a fool out of themselves in trying to be smart,” Lu said.

But despite the angry rhetoric coming out of Beijing, experts say China’s response has been relatively muted.


USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, says Beijing. Photograph: US Navy/Reuters

“It seems like China’s reaction â€" at least initially â€" has been to respond in a restrained, operational way. The Chinese have absolutely no interest in sparking a tactical crisis or any kind of confrontation with the Americans,” said Ashley Townshend, a South China Sea expert from the University of Sydney’s United States studies centre.

Tuesday’s manoeuvre, which saw the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen sail close to artificial Chinese islands, came after Barack Obama and Chinese president Xi Jinping failed to find common ground over the issue during recent talks at the White House.

US defence secretary Ash Carter warned that further “freedom of navigation” operations in the region were planned. “We will fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits,” he told a congressional hearing.

China reacted to Tuesday’s long-anticipated mission by hurling a barrage of accusations at Washington.

“The United States has been very irresponsible,” defense ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun said, according to Xinhua, China’s official news agency.

“This can convince the White House that China, despite its unwillingness, is not frightened to fight a war with the US in the region, and is determined to safeguard its national interests and dignity.”

The People’s Liberation Army Daily, China’s leading military newspaper, used a front-page editorial to accuse the US of sowing chaos in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Cast-iron facts show that time and again the United States recklessly uses force and starts wars, stirring things up where once there was stability, causing the bitterest of harm to those countries directly involved,” the newspaper said, according to Reuters.

South China Sea: Beijing 'not frightened to fight a war' after US move

State-run media in belligerent mood after USS Lassen challenges Beijing’s territorial claims in disputed Spratly archipelago

Tom Phillips
Beijing
Wednesday 28 October 2015

China is not afraid of fighting a war against the United States in the South China Sea, a state-run newspaper with links to the Communist party has claimed.

Twenty-four hours after Washington challenged Beijing’s territorial claims in the region by deploying a warship to waters around the disputed Spratly archipelago, the notoriously nationalistic Global Times accused the Pentagon of provoking China.

“In [the] face of the US harassment, Beijing should deal with Washington tactfully and prepare for the worst,” the newspaper argued in an editorial on Wednesday.

Tuesday, 27 October 2015: The USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, says Beijing. Photograph: US Navy/Reuters

earlier:


This image from the US navy purportedly shows Chinese dredging vessels in the waters around Mischief reef in the disputed Spratly archipelago in May 2015. Photograph: Reuters

Freedom of navigation

"Freedom of navigation operations serve to protect the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law," a Pentagon spokesman, Commander Bill Urban, told DPA news agency on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a US official told AFP news agency that the US Navy will send more warships to sail close to the artificial islands.

The Philippines, which has filed an arbitration case with the United Nations questioning China's sweeping claims over the sea, led US allies in the region in hailing the warship's passage through the disputed waters.

"I think everybody would welcome a balance of power anywhere in the world," Philippine President Benigno Aquino said.

China has been on a reclamation and construction spree in the disputed South China Sea despite objections by other claimants, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, a key shipping lane, with overlapping claims to the sea's potentially rich mineral resources.


Source: Agencies
aljazeera.com

'Extremely irresponsible'

China's Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui summoned US Ambassador Max Baucus, telling him that the patrol was "extremely irresponsible," the foreign ministry said.

It earlier said the USS Lassen "illegally" entered waters near islands and reefs in the Spratlys without the Chinese government's permission.

"China will resolutely respond to any country's deliberate provocations," the ministry said in a statement that gave no details on precisely where the US ship sailed.

In Washington, US State Department spokesman John Kirby told a regular briefing that "Setting this aside, the US-China relationship is vitally important and one we want to see continue to improve and to grow for the benefit of both our countries, not to mention the region".

Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, 12-nautical mile limits cannot be set around man-made islands built on previously submerged reefs.

Pentagon officials say the US regularly conducts freedom-of-navigation operations around the world to challenge excessive maritime claims. The US Navy last went within 12 miles of Chinese-claimed territory in the Spratlys in 2012.

"China will resolutely respond to any country's deliberate provocations," the ministry said in a statement that gave no details on precisely where the US ship sailed." - China's foreign ministry

Beijing said that the USS Lassen illegally entered Chinese territory when it sailed early on Tuesday near the Spratly, or Nansha, group of islands.

"The action ... threatened China's sovereignty and security interests, endangered the safety of staff and equipment on those islands and harmed regional peace and stability," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

Lu said Washington should "correct the mistake immediately" to avoid "further harm" to Chinese-US relations.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter, testifying on Tuesday to the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that the USS Lassen had passed within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island.

China warns US after warship sails by man-made islands

China summons US ambassador and says US patrol is a "coercive action that seeks to militarise South China Sea region".

28 Oct 2015



The United States has vowed to continue more naval patrols as China has reacted angrily after a US naval warship sailed through disputed waters of the South China Sea, saying the move threatened its "sovereignty".

A Chinese guided-missile destroyer and a naval patrol ship shadowed and gave warnings to the US warship "according to law", China's defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The US patrol was a "coercive action that seeks to militarise the South China Sea region" and an "abuse" of freedom of navigation under international law, it added.

The Lifting of the Ban

There were more developments that happened when Archbishop Ramon Arguelles took over the Archdiocese of Lipa in 2004. Before an International Mariological Conference held in Lourdes, France on September 2008, Archbishop Arguelles stated bluntly: "Yes, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace did appear in Lipa."

On November 12, 2009, the anniversary of the last apparition of Mary Mediatrix, Archbishop Arguelles took a big step forward in resolving the issue on the Marian apparitions at Lipa. He issued a decree stating that "all bans written or unwritten to curtail or diminish the devotion to Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace be lifted." He also formed a theological commission to review the documents related to the events of Lipa in 1948.

Archbishop Ramon Arguelles further stated: "I believe that the Mediatrix phenomenon is the most significant event in the local Church of Lipa in the last one hundred years. Undeniably, the Blessed Virgin Mary is extremely active during the last decades. If she had indeed shown her presence and delivered her message in various places throughout the world even in some nations in Asia, how can this 'pueblo amante de Maria" be different and excluded from her powerful intervention?"

The devotees of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace are now eagerly waiting for the official findings of the new commission and the final pronouncement of the Archdiocese of Lipa on the apparitions.


marianmessenger.ph/

The Revival

In the early 1990s, through the effective investigative reporting of broadcast journalist, June Keithley-Castro, the case on Lipa was reopened. Her report pointed to a less thorough, incomplete and rushed investigation by the bishops who signed the negative verdict which consigned Lipa into oblivion. Since the appearance of her documentary and book on "Lipa", devotion to the Mediatrix has revived and people started to make their way on pilgrimages to Lipa Carmel.


The Lipa apparition site

Sometime in February, 1990 a new unusual phenomenon was reported in the Granja District of Lipa City. A white luminous silhouette of Our Lady began allegedly to appear every evening on the leaves of a tall coconut tree. The image was visible for 90 consecutive nights. Then on May 21, 1990, Sr. Alphonse, who witnessed Teresing's blindness, pleaded on her deathbed that the statue of Our Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace be exposed again for public veneration at the Chapel of the Carmelite Monastery. Her request was granted the very next day.



On January 24, 1991, the shower of rose petals from the sky was reported again in Lipa Carmel. A few days later, a group of six children were playing in the front garden of the Carmel monastery when they saw the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel come to life and shed tears.

The late Archbishop Mariano Gaviola gave permission to display again the statue of Mary Mediatrix of All Grace. In March 1993, in the presence of thousands of pilgrims at Carmel, he declared his personal conviction that the Lipa events were "worthy of belief". Since then, pilgrims have flocked to Lipa and every September, the date of the first apparition, became a National Day of Prayer and Consecration.

Very strict sanctions were imposed on the Carmelite community at Lipa. The doors of the monastery were closed, not only to applicants to the religious life but also from the outside world. The nuns were even forbidden to see members of their own families. For a long time, Sister Elizabeth, an out sister, single-handedly supported the community through begging. She was the only nun permitted to look after the physical needs of the community.

Teresita on the other hand, left Carmel never to return due to the advice of the new (French) Mother Prioress, Ma Mere, who replaced Mother Mary Cecilia of Jesus. She tearfully advised Teresita to leave the monastery on her own volition so that it would enable her to reenter Carmel whenever she would be ready. She was not admitted for profession of vows because she lacked a full year of residency in the convent. This was however due to her trips to Manila for inquiries into the apparitions.

The Lipa apparitions were suppressed for 40 years but the devotees of Mary Mediatrix believed in silence and were obedient to the Church. They were steadfast in their faith that one day, the case would be reopened and the apparitions declared authentic.

The Negative Verdict and the Suppression

The official investigation concluded that "events at Lipa Carmel including the rose petal showers exclude any supernatural invention." The signatories were; Archbishop Gabriel Reyes of Manila, Bishop Cesar M. Guerrero of San Fernando, Bishop Mariano Madriaga of Lingayen, Bishop Rufino Santos the Administrator of Lipa, Bishop Vicente Reyes the Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, and Bishop Juan Sison, the Auxilary Bishop of Nueva Segovia. The document was also signed by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi.

Several years later, these same bishops who signed the negative report on the events of Lipa Carmel would later confess on their deathbeds that they were coerced to sign a negative verdict against their own free will under pain of excommunication. A thorough investigation appeared to be lacking. Neither Bishop Obviar nor Bishop Verzosa were interviewed by the commission to investigate the apparitions. It is interesting to note that the bishops responsible for the negative verdict on Lipa kept their rose petals given to them by the nuns.


Then Bishop Rufino Santos, the Administrator of Lipa and later to become the first Filipino cardinal, was one of the signatories

After the Church's decision was issued, the nuns were ordered to destroy all materials connected to the apparitions. They burned Teresita's diary as well as Mother Mary Cecilia's. The image of Our Lady was also ordered destroyed but the nuns didn't have the strength to do so; they devised means to save it. All who were directly involved in the apparitions were made to suffer.

The Persecutions

Soon the events at Lipa were abused by some, especially through commercialization: fake rose petals were sold and issued to pilgrims. The Carmel of Lipa suffered a series of trials one after another. On January 23, 1950, Bishop Verzosa was suddenly transferred without prior notice from Lipa and virtually all episcopal power was handed over to an Apostolic Administrator.

After that, Mother Mary Cecilia of Jesus, was ordered to leave Lipa Carmel and was replaced with a new mother prioress. Bishop Obviar was also relieved of his duties as Auxiliary Bishop of Lipa. Soon, people and the media started to accuse the nuns of 'orchestrating' the petal showers with the use of a blower and also of enriching themselves.

Teresita was interrogated by psychologist, Father Angelo Blas, O.P., a Dominican priest from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. He was reported to have attempted to have her renounce the apparitions. She refused to do so. A psychiatrist, Dr. Pardo, reportedly intimidated the visionary to make her admit that she was insane and was just seeking attention. There were also reports that they forced Teresita to sign a false document but she refused. However, a final report by Father Blas stated: "Teresita Castillo is perfectly normal and not suffering from hallucinations or other mental disorder."

The Carmel Chapel

On January 23, 1949, the cornerstone was laid for the future Church of Our Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, officiated by Bishop Alfredo Obviar. About thirty to fifty thousand pilgrims were present for the event. The Church was completed within two years and was funded entirely by donations of the pilgrims.


The Church of Our Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, today

One morning, Melania walked around the house and to the amazement of her family, her club foot had straightened out. This caused excitement among the family and neighbors. Neighbors remarked when they noticed a strong fragrance of roses around the Sunga residence. Meanwhile, the Sunga family was amazed when they witnessed a shower of rose petals right in their own home.



The statue of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace also became the focus of attention after some time: pilgrims reported to witness the statue coming to life and moving in its glass case. The eyes of the Virgin's statue were raised and seen gazing afar. The pilgrims also witnessed the rosary moving, as if the statue was fingering the rosary.

The Miracles and Healings

Many miraculous cures and conversions were reported by the use of the rose petals from Lipa. The blind were restored to sight and the sick were healed. The most publicized was the cure of a one-year old baby named Maria Socorro Mendoza Dichoso who was born with a soft head and had a hole on her skull.

When her mother went on pilgrimage to Lipa Carmel, she was given a rose petal by the nuns. Socorro's mother made a novena to Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace and then applied the petal on the child's head. The hole on the baby's skull suddenly disappeared and the brain receded. This healing was confirmed by x-rays.



One outstanding cure was that of Melania Maria Sunga of Candon, Ilocos Sur who was a 9 year old child then suffering from 'club foot'. Her foot was so deformed that it was wasted away to almost skin and bones. She made her way to school by limping and jumping.

In 1949, her uncle who was a seminarian during the Lipa apparitions, now Bishop Edmundo Abaya, gave her mother a bottle of water that was placed overnight beside the statue of the Mediatrix of All Grace. Melania's mother also made a novena to the Blessed Virgin and then applied the Lipa water.

The Shower of Rose Petals Continues

A few days later after the final apparition of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, the incredible phenomenon of the shower of rose petals started to occur outside the monastery. Hundreds and then, thousands of people started to flock to Lipa Carmel to witness the rain of roses from heaven.

The Bishop of Lipa, Monsignor Alfredo Verzosa was furious about the new phenomenon, and so he ordered a halt to the public veneration of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace. On November 19, he rushed to visit the sisters in order to put an end to the events at Carmel. When he was about to enter the door; he was stunned when he was greeted by the shower of rose petals. Since then, he had a change of heart. He allowed the image of the Mediatrix to be displayed again at the glass window for veneration by the faithful. He also gave permission for the release of the official account.



The pilgrims who flocked to Lipa Carmel with the hopes of witnessing a petal shower increased in great numbers as months passed. The public's fascination towards Lipa was overwhelming. Almost every day, news coverage about the apparitions and the rose petal showers were a daily staple in the various national and international media. It is reported that on November 11, 1949, the First Lady of the Commonwealth at that time, Mrs. Aurora Quezon, and her entourage went on pilgrimage to Carmel and witnessed the phenomenon of the rose petal showers. Bishop Alfredo Obviar testified that he also witnessed the miracle of the roses.

The Final Apparition of Our Lady in Lipa Carmel

The Lady appeared for the last time at the vine and gave her most important message to Teresita and for the whole world:

"Pray my child. The people do not listen to my words. Tell my daughters that there will be persecutions, unrest and bloodshed in your country. The enemy of the Church will try to destroy the Faith which Jesus had established and died for. The Church will suffer much.

Pray for the conversion of sinners throughout the world.

Pray for those who rejected me and those who do not believe my messages in the different parts of the world. I am really sad but consoled by those who believe and trust me.

Spread the meaning of the Rosary because this will be the instrument for peace throughout the world.

Tell my people that the Rosary must be prayed with devotion.

Spread the devotion to My Immaculate Heart.

Do penance for priests and nuns. But do not be afraid, for the love of My Son will soften the hardest of hearts and my motherly love will be their strength to crush the enemies of God.

What I ask here is the same I asked at Fatima. I bless this community in a very special way. All these can be revealed now.

I repeat to you that I am Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace. This is my last apparition on this place."

The Lady ascended to the clouds and vanished.

Teresita Suffers the Passion of Christ and had other Mystical Experiences

On Friday, November 5, the Sisters witnessed Teresita suffer the Passion of Our Lord. At noon, Teresita lost consciousness and has outstretched arms as if being crucified, her feet taking the same position as Jesus on the cross. She suffered the three-hour agony of Jesus. The Seven Last Words were reenacted through Teresita. At exactly three o'clock, the exact time commemorating the death of Christ, Teresita bowed her head--the sisters thought she really died.

It is also reported that Teresita had other mystical experiences such as receiving Holy Communion from an angel on occasions when she was unable to attend Holy Mass because she was sick in bed. She had visions of the Sacred Heart, of many angels and saints including Saint Cecilia and Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.

Teresita also claimed to have received secrets from the Blessed Virgin. She said that there was one for herself, one for the Carmelite community of Lipa, one for the world, and one for China.

Mother Cecilia on the other hand was said to be a recipient of 'interior locutions' or an inner voice telling her to assist Teresita during her sufferings.

On September 24, the Lady asked the Carmelite community for a Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary according to the spirituality of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort from his treatise, "True Devotion to Mary."

Sunday, September 26 was the last of the fifteen days of Teresita's encounter with the Lady at the vine. The Lady said to her: "Do not forget that My Son is the Way, the Truth and the Life… My child, you must love and obey your Mother Prioress. Tell the sisters to love one another and to practice the virtues of humility and simplicity which I love most. Tell them to love and obey their superiors and not to forget that things I ask. Do not forget to consecrate yourself to me on October."

The Lady finally identified herself: "I am Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace. I shall bless the community morning and evening." Blessing the novice, the Lady disappeared.

Teresita returned to the vine at about five in the afternoon and the Lady gave another message: "I ask this from Carmel: I wish that my image be placed here on this spot. This place must be cleaned so that it may become a shrine for prayer."

On September 16, the Lady appeared to Teresita accompanied by little angels or cherubims. The Lady with a very sad countenance came with this message: "Little one, two of my daughters refuse to believe me. They dislike like you also." Then the Lady continued: "I wish a statue of myself to be made so that my little ones can see. Describe me to your Chaplain. I wish my statue to look as you see me and as big as that of Our Lady of Lourdes which stands in the cloister."

There was also a message given for a sister who did not believe in the apparitions: "To my daughter who does not believe me, I do not oblige you to believe. But do not block nor debase my sacred place nor despise my words…"

The blessing of the garden took place at three o 'clock in the afternoon of September 15. The Chaplain of Carmel, Bishop Alfredo Maria Obviar, officiated the ritual. The Lady appeared again to Teresita but was only visible to her. She outstretched her arms as if to gather everyone present in her maternal embrace.

The Lady asked Teresita to get a sheet of paper and pencil to write her message: "My daughters: I ask you to believe in me and to keep this as a secret among yourselves for the time being. Love one another as true sisters. Come and visit me here often. Love your Mother Prioress very much. Make this spot holy and venerate the grounds. I wish this monastery be known as Our Lady's Carmel."

It was after that apparition and the blessing by Bishop Obviar that the nuns witnessed for the first time, the sudden and mysterious appearance of rose petals. The shower of rose petals was the sign which Bishop Obviar prayed for in order to prove the authenticity of Teresita's visions.


The Community in Lipa Carmel during the Apparition


Mother Mary Cecilia, Bishop Obviar and Sister Teresita (the Visionary)

photos from phatmass.com

The Lady said, “Please pray for priests and nuns and help me by making penance for them. Pray for them as you have never prayed before. The Sacred Heart of My Son bleeds anew for every fallen priest or nun. To some, pride was the obstacle to return to the true fold and shame hardened their hearts."

Teresita asked the Lady: "Who are you?" The Lady replied: "I am your Mother and am the Mother of my Son, Jesus."

The next day at the same time, Teresita went to the same place at the vine and she found the Lady already waiting for her, with her arms outstretched as if she ready to embrace Teresita.



"I wish this place to be blessed tomorrow," the Lady requested. Teresita asked: "At what time, my dear Lady?" The Lady replied: "At anytime your Mother Prioress wants. My child, I forbid you to forget the incidents of these fifteen days." The Lady gave her maternal blessing to Teresita and then vanished.

The Fifteen Apparitions at the Cloister Garden and the Messages

On Sunday afternoon, September 12, 1948, the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, Teresita, while taking a walk at the cloister garden, was amazed when she saw a vine shaking violently although there was no wind. She approached the vine and heard the Lady's voice telling her: "Do not fear, my child. Kiss the ground and whatever I shall tell you to do, you must do. Eat some grass, my child."

Teresita followed the Lady's request to eat some grass. The same had been asked of Saint Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes in 1858. "I wish that you come here to visit me on this spot for fifteen consecutive days be it rain or shine." Teresita didn't see the Lady but she only heard her voice.

On September 13 at five o' clock in the afternoon, Teresita returned to the garden, she knelt and prayed the "Hail Mary". Upon saying the words "full of grace" she saw the vine moving and then saw the most beautiful Lady with her hands clasped in prayer holding a golden Rosary with her right hand. The Lady was clothed with an immaculate white gown and a narrow belt. She was barefoot and her feet were resting on a cloud floating about two to three feet above the ground. The Lady was very beautiful beyond words.

The First Apparition of the Blessed Virgin in Teresita's Cell

On August 18, 1948, Teresita noticed a very heavenly fragrance, and upon entering her room she saw a very beautiful Lady in white who spoke to her: "Do not fear my daughter, He who loves above all things has sent me. I come with a message…"

Then, the Lady asked Sister Teresita to wash the feet of the Mother Prioress, to kiss it and drink the water afterwards. Initially, Mother Cecilia, the Prioress, was skeptical of Teresita's claim until the Lady sent on Teresita's person a sign. Mother Cecilia saw tears of blood on the eyes of Teresita. The Mother Prioress then believed in Teresita's story about the apparition. Both of them followed the Lady's very unusual request for the washing of the feet. The Lady said that the washing was a "sign of humility and obedience" and a way to thwart the plans of the adversary.

The visionary, Teresita was astonished by the rapid succession of supernatural events surrounding her. It is said that Teresita inquired: "What is this? Is life really like this in Carmel?"


Mother Mary Cecilia of Jesus, OCD, the visionary of Lipa's confidante. Prioress or mother superior of Lipa Carmel at the time of the Apparition, banished from Lipa by Church authorities and was reduced to a humble maid. She witnessed several miracles connected with the apparition together with the two bishops ( Alfredo Ma. Obviar and Alfredo Verzosa)

Diabolic Oppression

Within a few weeks after her entrance to Lipa Carmel, on the evening of July 31, 1948, Satan appeared to Teresita in her cell and attempted to evict her from the monastery. She rejected the devil but he was very persistent and soon the diabolical harassment was about to escalate. Teresita described the devil as being 'surrounded by fire' all over his body.

The Visionary

Teresita L Castillo was born into a prominent and affluent family from Tanauan, Batangas. Her father, Modesto Castillo was the governor of the province. She was raised and educated in convent schools. Teresita or "Teresing" as she is affectionately called, had nurtured a vocation to become a Discalced Carmelite. On her 21st birthday on July 4, 1948, she fled her home to enter the Carmel in Lipa. When her family found out, they tried to dissuade her with threats. But despite all the pressures, Teresita prevailed in following her call to become a Carmelite nun.


Teresita Castillo

THE ROSES OF GRACE: THE APPARITIONS OF MARY MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACE IN LIPA CARMEL IN 1948   

by Rafael M. Villongco

On November 12, 2009, a major development in the history of Marian apparitions occurred. Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles of Lipa issued an official decree overturning the negative verdict on the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Lipa, Batangas province, 1948.

If the Lipa apparitions will be declared of supernatural character, Lipa may join the ranks of the other approved major apparitions such as Guadalupe, La Salette, Lourdes, Fatima, Pontmain, Beauraing and Banneux, as well as the more recent Akita, Betania, Cuapa, Amsterdam, and Kibeho.



Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, declared that, "all bans written and unwritten to curtail or diminish the devotion to Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace be lifted." He then formed a new theological commission to conduct a thorough investigation and review all documents regarding the apparitions.

Additional background of Our Lady Mediatrix of All Grace

Once initially declared by a group of 6 Filipino bishops as non-supernatural on 11 April 1951, the case was reopened in 1991 with extensive research and investigation. The Lipa phenomenon was formally approved by Archbishop Ramon Arguelles on 12 September 2015 as "supernatural in character and worthy of belief".

On 3 March 2011, Pope Benedict XVI was presented a Mediatrix statue by Bishop Guillermo Afable during the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Ad Limina visit.



On 9 March 2011, a life-sized Mediatrix statue brought by Filipino bishops was publicly displayed in the general Wednesday papal audience at Pope Paul VI Audience Hall.

On 17 January 2015, Pope Francis venerated a replica image at the Archbishop residence in Tacloban city. The original image that once escaped the bonfire is currently enshrined at the Lipa Carmel Church; Batangas, Philippines.



Believers in this Marian title are also closely affiliated with the dogmatic proposal of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Co-Redemptrix. (wikipedia)