A LEADER: WHAT HE IS OUGHT TO BE?

          The evangelical rally of the Iglesia Ni Cristo last Feb.28 attended by a mammoth crowd at the Quirino grandstand has been  construed by many to be more of a political event against Pres. Aquino and a virtual show of force of the religious sect. True or not, this perception is yet another glaring sign of big divide that has been continuously pervading our society.. Sadly, this chronic polarization has been existing even before we were seeking autonomy from our colonial masters and seriously merits our immediate concern and cause for perturbation. The "crab mentality" which is now deeply seated in our culture emanates from this divide and not until we can elect a president who will genuinely lead our people to unity, our road to progress will forever be evasive. The person who will take the rein of leadership in our country must show that he is the leader of all people and not just favoring a certain portion of the populace. While I admire the "daang matuwid" advocacy of Pres. Aquino, I nevertheless believe that a more rightful approach has to be carried out to take away the misconception that he is only targeting former president GMA and other officials of the previous administration. P-Noy must bear in mind that although Gloria is virtually now dead in the water because of the perceived malfeasance she committed against the Filipino people, still there are remnants of her avid individual followers or groups that in one way or another benefited from her long stay in the presidency. These are the people or groups that the president must be wary of since they are the ones who would always wish for all his programs to fail no matter how beneficial they may be for the majority. To get rid of all the obstacles along the path of "daang matuwid" is no simple job and endeavor. He has to gain the trust of everybody including the "crab thinkers" and non-believers and prevail over them to join him in his quest for good governance and ultimate progress. This is the kind of leadership that everyone is wishing for. We need somebody who can rally us irrespective of political inclinations, social standing and religious creed.
           Adolf Hitler, despite his conceived evil deeds of starting out WW II and nearly wiping out the Jewish people on earth was credited by historians for his tenacity to rally the German people behind his megalomania in achieving his goal of racial hegemony in all of Europe. Churchill, Roosevelt and other leaders in history were recognized and credited not more on their benevolent accomplishments but on the leadership they provided to their people against challenges and adversaries. Even the late Pres. Marcos at the height of his dictatorial rule was cited for his vision and firm leadership which was exemplified during the early stage of his martial rule. He was able to rally the Filipino people to stand behind him in his pursuit of the "New Society", although to some through sheer intimidation and coercion. His leadership capability eventually collapsed when he turned into a despot and an oppressor of his own people. He simply lost his chance to greatness.
          P-Noy might have the sincerity and honest intent to liberate our people from the grip of corrupt governance but, somehow, the most learned amongst us visualize a wrongful path towards his targeted goal. Some even interpret his "daang matuwid" as an admixture of hate and vindictiveness against those whom he perceived to have done wrongdoings to him and his family. Many  people tend to believe an agenda of selfish motive hidden behind the cloak of his slogan. This impression further yields divisiveness and creates deeper chasm between his followers and detractors. The road to his goal must be redirected for it to be achieved. If he really aims to be a great leader of our country, he must first eliminate the perception of biases and prejudices. Uniting our people cannot be accomplished with a mere sloganeering and rhetoric. He has to do more than just fighting corruption in trying to rally the people behind him. He has to be firm yet not being misconstrued to be arrogant and belligerent. The people particularly his detractors may be able to endure all his inadequacies, imperfections and some mediocre performances but not his ostensible arrogance in the pursuit of his goal most of the time rendering unfair and premature judgement to his perceived adversaries, obviously owing to his security because of his immense popularity. But his popularity is not enough for him to hold on to. The tide can one day turn against his favor. Fairness and humility is the key. We can only wish for him to succeed for our own sake and for our children's future.

A NIGHT IN SONIA'S GARDEN & A BOOK.

Last weekend, Feb.4, my wife, Vicky, and I had an overnight stay in Sonia's Garden in the City of Tagaytay. The place is known not only for its organic foods that they are offering their clients but likewise for its verdant surroundings. The pleasant smell of fresh vegetation and the sound of the chirping birds which you cannot find in an urban place were enough invitation for me to hit the bed early and enjoy a much needed rest and sleep as soon as I entered  the antiquated-style room that we were to occupy that night. But unfortunately or should I say fortunately, everything was not I expected it to be. Inside the room, (well, much to my juvenile instinct delight) were a number of books, apparently as part of the place's amenities, neatly arranged on top of the side tables of our bed. My voracious reading passion instinctively told me to set aside my early sleeping plan and prepare for a long night ahead. At first, I asked myself if I could consume reading all the books thereat in one night. Surely it was impossible. It requires a superhuman capability or a genius to do that. An averaged book reader like me is definitely incapable of doing what I'm thinking of so I'll just have to make do with whatever limited capacity which I hoped to exhaust that night. This meant selecting just one book for an overnight reading. Needless to say, I selected a book which can more or less suffice my reading satiety  for the night. I chose a 550+ page book which story revolves around German characters and a Jew during WWII in one of a secluded town in Germany.. Although it is a war setting, the story is absent of violent encounters but more of  a dramatic episodes between the central characters. And so I literally burned the lamp that night to finish the book. Save for the breakfast and lunch break, my wife and I quick sojourn to the perimeter garden of the place, and the regular trip to the CR, my time was wholly spent to the attempt of ending the book. But no matter how I tried to, my comprehension was no longer as expansively responsive the way it used to. I was barely halfway thru the book when it was announced that it was already check-out time. My desire to finish the story was frustratingly left hanging in the air. I thought there was nothing I can do but to pack-up and just leave my unfinished task of getting done with the book just as it was.

Just as we were leaving the room, my eyes cannot help but squinted on the object of my aborted desire temptingly lurking  on the side table as if telling me, "hey, come back and take me home with you, for sure I'll be able to satisfy your lust for me". I was provocatively enthused to set aside my "delicadeza" and begun to think awkwardly of possessing the book even just ephemerally. I have been to a lot of hotels and lodging inns in the past but never did I take out or , much less gained possession of anything which were available in the rooms that I occupied either for souvenir collections or personal material benefits. I was placed in a pitiful quandary of having a choice between ethics and temporary desire.

But my optimism was buoyed by the fact that something can be done without really alarming anyone, for the moment. The book was not really irretrievable. I can still find a way to gain possession of the book. The urge was so dire. I thought I can take hold of  the book even for a week or two, be done reading it and ask my son who is a frequent diner in Sonia's Garden to return it as soon as he goes back to the place. In that case, the feeling of guilt although not totally obliterated is somewhat lessened. And so I did follow my self-declared advice. I took the book, hid it in my gym bag, and brought it home for my unfinished reading business.

And now I'm just waiting for my son to drop by the house to return the precious book to its rightful place in Tagaytay. I have to admit that there is some degree of guilt in me, but the feeling of great satisfaction of finishing the book outweighs the guilt itself.

By the way., the title of the book written by Markus Zusak is "THE BOOK THIEF".

RELIGIONS & EVANGELISTS

A friend of mine recommends to me a religious show on television worth watching because of what he considers to be an expert articulation of the host who at the same time is the leader of his own congregation. Yes, the speaker, no doubt, knows the bible from cover to cover, but I find his views and comments acerbic, rabidly offensive and ill-advised. I must admit though that some of his views are very much logical. By and large, I would say that his television appearance is amusing and to some extent, his stage theatrics, comical. But for me, one who speaks ill-will and expresses words which are affront to a person or persons, or any religious group or congregation that do not share the same interpretation as his own of the bible does not bode well to the supposed christian advocacy that he is trying to spread. A person may have the mastery of the bible or may know or memorized every word written in it from A to Z but this does not mean that he has a superior dominion over everybody in regard to bible interpretation, much less expert dominance in spreading the words of God. Everyone who professes to be an evangelist no matter how noble his intentions are, must also show respect and concern to the feelings of his listeners particularly so that it involves such a highly sensitive topics concerning his beliefs. Otherwise, he may have have all the best interpretation in the bible but may end up a miserable failure in getting his message across his listeners because of his considerably weird style of driving a point to them.

The secrecy of any religion or or religious sect has to be respected and its attendant rituals by the faithfuls be freely observed even though they may run diametrically opposed to others own interpretation of the bible.

To me, there is nothing more paramount than to heighten the spirituality of a person and emphasize the real essence of "christianity". Spirituality is the bedrock of any faith regardless of any religious beliefs, while compassion and love of fellowmen  and being of service to them particularly in their time of needs are transcendent of all christian beliefs. Every human being is a God's creation hence deserving of all the love one can exhaustively afford.

Religion for me not only guide us to the moral teachings of our Lord in our temporary existence in this world but also, most importantly, the illuminating lantern that will light our path towards life eternal.

Ret. Gen. JOVITO PALPARAN: "The Butcher". Is he?

Not too long ago, my cousin and I together with some friends visited the town of San Miguel in Bulacan. This cousin of mine was planning to purchase a small farmland for him to spend his time doing farm works as one of his hobbies upon his retirement. One of the concerns we raised to the owner of the farmland that my cousin got interested in buying was the peace and order situation in the area particularly in regard to communist insurgency. We were told that NPA activities in the province were dramatically reduced during the time of Gen. Palparan owing to his no nonsense campaign to eliminate the menace of insurgency in his area of jurisdiction. The farmers and the landowners were not only satisfied but likewise expressed their appreciation to the general's iron-fisted approach to counteract  the harassment being perpetrated by the communist rebels particularly the unabated collection of revolutionary tax, a euphemism for extortion. By and large, they believed that Gen. Palparan performed splendidly during his campaign in the province of Bulacan during his term.

 Fast forward to the present. Gen. Palparan is indicted and is issued arrest warrant by the DOJ in connection with the abduction and disappearance of two UP student activists. He is now facing charges related to their disappearance. The Human Rights Commission headed by a well known leftist figure and other leftist groups are also up in arms to pin him down for the alleged atrocities he committed which included among others excessive used of brute force and other extrajudicial methods in his goal of eliminating the threat of communist insurgency in the province of Bulacan.

 I can only sympathize with the families of the two missing students and other victims of Gen. Palparan's alleged atrocities. The extrajudicial method used by the general in his campaign of ridding out communist threat in the area no matter how noble his intentions were was, to say the least, unacceptable. "The means, do not justify the ends"

But do the majority of the people share the same view that of the leftist and human rights group? Does Gen. Palparan deserve to be given the monicker "The Butcher"? The ordinary farmers and small landowners in Bulacan are expressing a totally contradictory view from what is being perceived by those who are against the general. These people whom he has protected and served took cognizant to his accomplishments irrespective of what they were told of the general's brutal application of laws. I'm sure for them, the means justified the ends! We were told that they supported him in his fight against insurgency albeit not openly for fear of reprisal from the rebels and their leftist sympathizers. This, I believe, is the dilemma hounding the military in its campaign against communist insurgency. Laws are crafted to be strictly enforced to the letter. The rights of every individual has to be respected by all means. As for Ret. Gen. Jovito Palparan, "damn if you do, damn if you don't

PLEASE DON'T ASK ME by John Farnham

Please don't ask me what am I thinkin'

It's about you

Please don't ask me, I never can see you,

What can I do

My first impulse is to run to your side,

My heart's not free, and so I must hide,

Please don't ask me what I'm gonna say to you

I toss and turn, can't sleep at night

It's worrying me,

                                                                    I go to bed, turn out the light,

                                                                    But your face I see

.

                                                                    It only hurts the more I pretend,

                                                                   That we could ever be more than friends,

                                                                   Please don't ask me why I'm so in love with you

                                                                   

                                                                   You could easily make me happy, that I know

                                                                   But I'll try my best to never tell you so

                                                                   I will sing to you my love songs, and pretend

                                                                  And I'll keep the secret right down to the end.

                                                                  

                                                                  Please don't ask me why I'm not talkin',

                                                                  I just can't explain

                                                                 And please don't ask me why I go walkin',

                                                                 Out in the rain.

                                                                 

                                                                 I would not live the lie it would take,

                                                                To have you near would be a mistake,

                                                                Please don't ask me why I'm still in love with you.

                                                                No please don't ask me.

MY PASSION FOR LONG DISTANCE RUN:(Why & How It Started?) Part I

I was in my late 40s when I suddenly woke up one day to the reality that I was continuously gaining weight. A lot of physical signs have been manifesting on my overly abused body. At 5'7" I am supposed to have an ideal weight of 150-154 lbs. But at that time I was already hitting 175lbs. on the scale. My waistline was 38". When I looked at myself infront of the mirror it was as if I was looking at "humpty dumpty" because as if my torso was directly connected to my head minus the neck. Because I was a heavy beer drinker, my tummy seems to be that of a castrated hippo. My epidermal organ was so stretched to its elastic limit it looked like it was going to burst w/ a prick of a needle. I thought I was looking then at a breastfeeding swine. All this horrible signs on my physicality were taking its toll on my personality. As my tummy got bigger, my confidence got smaller. I started to spend more of my working time behind my office table rather spending it in the field where I felt I'm more potentially effective. But sadly, the more you become insecure of your body appearance the more you become a voracious eater. Not only that. I also found relief from my predicament thru heavy smoking. But what was worse was that aside from physical deterioration, I was also diagnosed with some physiological afflictions and conditions inherent to abused and sedentary lifestyle. My blood pressure was elevating, my lipid profile was problematic, and my heart beating was registering episodes of abnormal rhythm. But the most hurting of all (literally and figuratively) was that my uric acid was tremendously high. This further restricted my mobility. Nary a week will pass without parts of my extremities crucified by gouty pain. Sometimes the pain will hybernate in one location of my foot unabling me do my daily routine thus affecting my work. My legs became thinner because of atrophy due to immobility. It was a tortuous ordeal Pain relievers are just what they are - pain relievers! They have no curative value.
Their efficacy is only limited to certain period of time so that the pain keeps on coming back when their period of potency is gone. Even worse, pain relievers can cause fatal side effects and adverse reactions in prolonged use.

It was the thought of getting out of this morass that I decided to embark on a program of gaining a physical rebirth. I was hoping against hope then that discipline, dedication and perseverance, not only can I gain my old physical look but transform me to new and better person. And so I started a revolutionary transformation program that will change my lifestyle that I used to have, albeit gradually. No more over indulging on food and liquor. I dropped my smoking habit completely and limit my nightly adventures. But the most significant part of my program for physical renewal was embarking on a regular physical activities.

One day in summer, my brother Dennis went out to go jogging with some of our friends in Baywalk area. From U.S. embassy in Roxas blvd. to CCP in Pasay and back covers more or less 2kms. Dennis and our friends were regular joggers who do this activity every weekend. I had engaged in different sports activities during my youthful days but I had never tried doing a middle distance run. Aware of my dilemma and worried that I might end up instead in an ER of a hospital, Dennis advise me just to walk the entire stretch of the distance and asked one of the guys to join me in my first ever attempt of a long distance run. It was only a 2km walk but my nicotine-filled lungs, beer belly and gouty arthritis conspired to really give me hell in this first sojourn to my would be passion. Fortunately, I crossed the "imaginary finish line" with my "alalay". And as I rested on the sea wall I felt as if a tsunami was coming to the filthy beach on Roxas Blvd. My head was on a twirl and looking behind me, I felt that the buildings along the boulevard were collapsing domino style. It was terrible feeling that I thought it would be the first and the last of my walking exercise.

But after 2 days rest, maybe because of my resolute decision to pursue my goal, I felt that my enthusiasm was creeping back and rising. I went back to Roxas blvd., this time alone, walked the same distance and much to my amazement finished the stretch sans the terrible feeling that I felt the first time around. After that I repeated the same routine and gradually add more distance and increase my pacing. Before I knew it, I was already doing more than what I expected of myself to be doing. I was running double the 2kms. distance.

MY FIRST LONG DISTANCE RUN TRAINING: The old Sta. Ana racetrack Had more than mile round oval. On the side perimeter circled a grassy area ideal for walking and jogging exercise. It was here where I formally started building up my stamina by circling the area at least five times a day every morning. It was also here where I met Melvin, an experienced long distance runner who have already joined quite a number of full marathons not only here but also abroad. Melvin was also of my age and thru his persistent encouragement he was able to convince me to start on a running program that will eventually qualify me as an experience runner and thus be able to join the 42kms run. But he said that achieving this is not a walk in the park. It entails discipline, hardwork, time and determination. Melvin gave me a manual that contains program and tipsters on how to develop oneself into a long distance runner. I read the manual, memorized it by heart, and tried my best to apply what I have learned from it. I started to wake up at 3:30 am and hit the road at precisely 4 early morning. I now had a new running venue which was around the power plant area in Rockwell. Soon enough, after 3 months of regular training I was already joining footraces which were the 10kms distaff events. The first fun run that I joined was the Milo finals although I only ran the 10 kms. event. I remember it was Dec.10 which coincided with my birthday. I was so excited to have finished my first ever 10km run that in the afternoon of my birthday party, I gulp down more than a dozen bottles of san miguel beer. Well, I thought it was my birthday anyway and there's nothing wrong to reward myself for such an outstanding and successful endeavor. And so that was the beginning of a series of running events that I joined.

P-Noy's SWS Rating; Arroyos' Indictment; & Gullibility of the Masses

P-Noy's latest satisfaction rating has again improved from good to very good according to latest SWS survey. Basing it on this survey we can surmise that the Filipino people recognized the effort of the present administration to bring to the bar of justice all the people guilty of corruption in the previous administration with no less than the president at the forefront of the anti-corruption campaign. This in particular is the serious drive to investigate all the perceived excesses of former president Gloria Arroyo and her husband Mike and other members of the Arroyo family and file appropriate charges in court. Although we cannot help

but admire the determination of this administration to go after all the officials of the arroyo administration allegedly involved in maleficence and send them to jail if proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt, somehow, the act of some of his officials including some members of the senate and the House of Representatives manifests an ostensive superfluity and overkill judging from the way they brought their case to the bar of public opinion without due respect to proper juridical protocol and procedures. Many legal luminaries are questioning the preemptive announcements in the media done not only by Malacanang but likewise by other investigating bodies particularly the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee without considering the strength and values of all the evidentiary documents and the credibility of the witnesses paraded during the senate hearings to insure an airtight case for the eventual conviction of the guilty people involved. Majority of the Filipino people are so incensed with the corruption that happened during the previous administration that all moves directed against GMA and her cohorts are openly welcomed by them irrespective of the plausibility of the nacharges or issues that were being brought out in the media. This headbashing of the Arroyos became a successful strategy made by then opposition parties before the 2010 elections catapulting them to power and banishing the members of the previous administration to political oblivion. The perceived resolve of sending all those corrupt officials to jail is now the paramount goal of most of the Filipino people that is why they continue to support P-Noy failing to take cognizance of the more pressing problems now affecting them which include among others poverty, job creation, education, peace and order, spiraling prices of basic commodities and other serious international issues relevant to our survival as a nation.

It is in this context that I have my reservation in regard to the sincerity in purpose of some of those who are publicly sensationalizing the issues against the Arroyos sans the basic principle of proper judicial proceedings. For one, why are they exposing all the alleged evidentiary documents they possessed and parading all witnesses that were supposed to directly link all the accused to all the frauds committed during their term. They (the accusers) have to know better. The Arroyo couple is not an Erap who readily admitted during media interview that he signed the Velarde account in front of the bank officials right in Malacanang palace. GMA is a highly intelligent person while FGMA is not a stupid lawyer. And what's more, they are leaning on a very thick logistical wall to be able to hire a battery of brilliant lawyers to defend them in what is expected to be a long and protracted court battle. And so the question is, why were all the accusers brandishing all the supposed documents and showing them to the public. If this is not a publicity stunt then I wonder what it is. Or quite possibly, it can be a trojan horse scenario to give the Arroyos a chance to prepare for the expected court litigations.

Another point we may have to consider is the obvious gullibility of the masses who readily believe all the corruption expose' on a mere "say so" statements. Admittedly, all the senate and congressional hearings that took place and will have to take place in the near future have all the trimmings of a "telenovela" plot in which our gullible "masa" are breathtakingly anticipating to watch live on television. For the discerning people however, all these statements gathered and were presented in the hearings will not be recognized the moment the case reaches the proper court. Everything will start from scratch.

The situation is just a case of maneuverings of shrewd political characters out to gain media mileage and a hopeless gullibility of our maleducated masses. What could be more pathetic than seeing these guilty people laughing their way to freedom.