P1nch3S of SalT

To the Woman in Yellow

2009-08-03T01:06:00.005+02:00

To the Woman in yellow,
Thank you
-for being an instrument of the restoration of democracy in the Philippines
-for being not only a President but also a mother to Filipinos
-for your simplicity
-for your humility
-for your integrity
-for showing us that faith should be lived
-for not being engrossed with power
-for being a Filipino

Dear Friends,

The best thing we can do to honor Cory is to emulate her qualities... let us start with ourselves...

Mancao’s extradition: Regardless of motives and perceived political persecution, the real issue is Truth and Justice

2009-06-04T14:03:00.004+02:00

As expected some people quickly alluded Cesar Mancao’s willingness to testify against Sen. Panfilo Lacson to a grand plan to discredit him. Politicians including Loren Legarda (who has dramatically plunged way down in her survey ratings as presidentiable) are quick to defend the beleaguered Lacson as soon as Mancao arrived from the US. We should not depart from the real issue- not political persecution but a quest for truth and justice for Dacer and Corbito who were summarily executed 9 years ago. Lacson has been in the defensive since Cesar Mancao gave his affidavit months ago. Granting that his allegation that Mancao was pressured into testifying against him is true- it does not, in anyway, diminish the truth in Mancao’s testimony. Apparently, it was Lacson who advised Mancao and Michael Ray Aquino to go to the US to avoid being implicated in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case in 2001. Too bad Teofilo Viña, another police officer who can shed light into the case, was killed in 2003. Another important character, Glenn Dumlao who turned state witness in 2001 also fled to the US. It will be a strong corroboration of Mancao’s testimony if it is true that he (Dumlao) is willing to testify anew after he is extradited. Those who are trying to muddle the issue by alluding to a plot to persecute Lacson are diverting the issue, thereby trampling upon the clamor for truth and justice by the Dacer and Corbito families. Justice for Dacer and Corbito!!!

Ecclesiastical Processes and Offices that were erroneously depicted by Dan Brown in “Angels and Demons”

2009-05-16T23:14:00.013+02:00

To those who have read the novel or watched the movie, I am offering the following observations about the things that were erroneously depicted in the novel/movie particularly in the scenes depicting the “Sede Vacante(1)” and “Conclave(2)”, to put things in the right perspective:

On the Manner of Burial of the Pope
In examining the body of the previous Pope, the Swiss Guards simply slid back the marble top of the tomb to check the tongue of the Pope; while as a matter of fact, Popes are laid in 3 coffins(3) , which would have made this task somewhat more difficult.

Conclave
The novel (made into a movie) asserts several non-facts about the process of a Papal conclave. It suggests that only cardinals may be elected in a conclave and when they considered the camerlengo to be the next pope, one of the cardinals said that the only requirement is for one to have been ordained. This is not true, because technically, any baptized male Catholic who is not a heretic, or in schism, or notorious for simony can be elected pope. The last man who was not a bishop to be elected pope was Cardinal Mauro Alberto Cappellari, a Camaldolese monk and prefect of the former Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, who was elected in 1831 and took the name Gregory XVI. The last non-cardinal to be elected pope was in 1378 when the Archbishop of Bari became Pope Urban VI. During a period of intense rivalry between Roman noble families, at least three laymen were elected pope: Benedict VIII (1012-24); John XIX (1024-32); and Benedict IX (1032-44; 1045;047-48).

The novel further suggests that four candidates whom Langdon calls the “preferitti” are semi-formally chosen, including a head, to become the candidates for papacy, thus making the Conclave obsolete. This is again not true. Though there are “papabile” (papable) cardinals, they are not practical definites before the beginning of the conclave. Further, ballots are restricted to two in the morning and two in the afternoon and each group is burned together. Dan Brown indicates they are burned individually and indicates that more than two may occur in the afternoon. The Cardinals do not stay in the Sistine Chapel overnight. They go back to Domus Sanctae Marthae (the cardinals’ official residence in the Vatican during conclave) after two balloting in the morning and two balloting in the afternoon (in the case a pope hasn't been elected in those balloting).

The Camerlengo
Brown gives the role of “Camerlengo” to the late Pope's secretary. The Camerlengo does play an important role during the Sede Vacante and Conclave, but he is never the pope's secretary. In fact, the Camerlengo is a member of the College of Cardinals and is appointed by the pope. He serves as acting head of State of the Vatican City during the “Sede Vacante”. The late Pope's secretary has no authority over anyone in the Vatican, as he loses his job when the pope dies.

The Dean of College of Cardinals
Also, the novel states that the "Dean of the College of Cardinals" of the conclave cannot be elected; in fact, he can, and he actually was in the 2005 conclave (the then Cardinal Ratzinger was the Dean of the College of Cardinals). It should also be noted that the "Devil's Advocate" has nothing to do with the papal election (but with the process of beatification).

Although "Angels and Demons" is a fiction, I was compelled to write these observations because most readers/watchers tend to take what they read/watch as the truth. As a priest, I was bombarded with questions about it years ago, when the novel first came out.

___________________

(1)The expression sede vacante in this sense, refers to the vacancy of the Holy See, which occurs after the death or resignation of a pope. In a wider sense, it refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church. It is Latin for "the seat being vacant, that is, the cathedra of the particular church. This means that for a diocese the diocesan bishop has either died, resigned, transferred to a different diocese, or lost his office and a replacement has not yet been named. If there is a coadjutor bishop for the church, then this period does not take place, as a coadjutor bishop immediately succeeds to the episcopal see.

(2)The convening of the College of Cardinals for the purpose of electing the pope, when the holy see is vacant.

(3) The innermost coffin is made of cypress to signify the pope'shumanity. Before burial, the cypress coffin is sealed in an 800-pound lead coffin. The outermost coffin is made of elm to symbolize the great dignity of the pope. Both the lead and elm coffins bear bronze plaques with the name of the pope and the significant dates of his life.

Ironic

2009-05-10T10:00:00.000+02:00

I find it ironic:

-that some celebrities are animal rights activists while being birth control and abortion advocates. For them animal’s rights are more important than human life.

-that some celebrities campaign for funds for homeless children while advocating for abortion.

-that people are calling for the US troops withdrawal from Iraq because of the escalating death toll but they would care less about the fact that 3000 lives are lost each day because of abortion.

With Pope Benedict XVI for the Second Time

2009-03-05T11:29:00.001+01:00

I attended this year's Papal Meeting with the Clergy of Rome which is held on Thursday after Ash Wednesday each year. I am elated to have been able to kiss the hands of Pope Benedict XVI for the second time in two years. This time, I asked the Pope to bless me and he gladly affixed the sign of the cross on my forehead. There were around 500 priests who attended the meeting at the Aula della Benedizione in the Apostolic Palace. Only those of us who were seated towards the aisle were able to kiss the Pope's hand (we were lucky to enter the hall earlier then the others). The Pope was in jovial mood during the meeting, he cracked jokes and addressed issues that were raised by Parish Priests. I will forever cherish my moments with him as I am on my last year in Rome.

No one can claim right over other’s life (even the unborn)

2009-01-28T12:58:00.006+01:00

The recent directive of President Obama to restore funding by the US Government for clinics that perform abortion all over the world was welcomed by the pro-choice advocates but drew a flak from pro-life advocates and the Vatican. In a rally held by both parties in San Francisco last week, a Filipina pro-choice advocate said in an interview that she is happy with the directive because it upholds the human rights of women. She even asserted that although she is a Catholic, she believes that her Church should not meddle with the affairs of the state. People who use the same argument would cite the separation of Church and state enshrined in the constitution whenever the Church upholds morality. They missed the point. Abortion is a moral issue on which the Church claims competence.

The Church (not only the Catholic Church) believes that life begins at the moment of conception. It is her moral obligation to advocate this reality based on divine law. Women who say that abortion is a right are misguided or are simply ego-driven. While it is true that they have right over their bodies, it is an absolute truth that no one can ever claim a right over the life of others (even the unborn).

Walk the talk and be guided by GOD

2009-01-20T21:05:00.002+01:00

I feel privileged to be in the United States on the day Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American president and on the day of his inauguration (both events will be cherished in history). I must admit that although I do not like Obama’s liberal ideology, I admire his eloquence in speech. This gave him greater advantage during the campaign period. However, speeches are only words. As he assumes the office as a President of the most powerful nation, Barack Obama should now begin to walk the talk. He must now take the first steps to fulfill his promises and perform the task of leading a nation that is currently in recession.

I was elated to hear the Rev. Rick Warren mentioning GOD and JESUS in his opening prayer during the inaugural ceremonies this morning. A commentator in one of the cable news networks was pessimistic on whether GOD or JESUS will be mentioned because the United States is a pluralistic country not only because of diversity in race but also because of diversity in religion (there is a deliberate move by the extreme left to remove GOD and JESUS in the picture). President Obama should not fall into the prodding of Godless individuals who even look forward towards removing the word GOD in the dollar bills. When GOD is removed in our lives, it will not be a change but a transgression. Obama’s battle cry was change, and change has indeed happened through his election. However, change itself can become a hindrance if it were made merely to discredit an opponent and not for altruistic purpose. Real Change can only be achieved if it is directed by GOD through JESUS. That kind of change will surely make a difference.

The Drug Menace

2009-01-09T06:06:00.002+01:00

The controversy that stemmed from the resolution by DOJ prosecutors for the dismissal of the case against the so called “Alabang Boys“ opened a can of worms. DOJ secretary Gonzalez and the other officials involved are making a fool of us Filipinos by playing naïve about the gravity of the matter. For, how can one explain why the lawyer of the accused was the one who penned the release order for his clients? All Gonzalez could say was that it was unethical on the part of the lawyer. This made me believe that such thing was an ordinary occurrence in the DOJ (lawyers of the accused writing the decision or order release). It is a blatant usurpation of authority to use the letterhead of the DOJ, but he (Gonzalez) seemed to have tolerated it by not investigating the matter immediately. If it were not for the PDEA officials standing their ground, these things would not have been exposed.

At the congressional hearing yesterday, Gonzalez vented his ire on Major Marcelino (who has become an epitome of integrity in public service) instead of reprimanding the lawyer who used his letterhead. As Congressman Cuenco said, “ He should have reprimanded him, scolded him, raised hell and castigated him. I don’t know why he did not do that.” The DOJ has become DOI ( Department of Injustice) under Gonzalez. He, along with the other DOJ officials involved should resign!

The present congressional hearing on the matter should result into new legislations on drug enforcement- there should be a special court for drug cases. On the other hand, the PDEA personnel should take seminars on standard operations procedure in conducting arrests and buy-bust operations so that cases will not be dismissed merely on grounds of technicality.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T22:58:00.003+01:00

May you have a Christmas filled with love- a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds manifest the presence of God. May our Incarnate Savior bless you and your love ones.

This greeting came late as I have been busy with our 5 a.m. Simbang Gabi at the Our Lady of Victories Church in Jersey City.

Pilgrimage to Padre Pio's Shrine

2008-12-07T18:03:00.002+01:00

I celebrated the 11th Anniversary of my ordination to the Priesthood last December 5 (Friday) by going on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy together with fellow Tomasino Priests- Fr. Glenn Ruiz (my classmate) and Fr. Oscar Cadayona. Joining us were our former professor in UST, Fr. Vicente Cajilig, OP with his brother and sister-in-law who was cured of cancer by Padre Pio. She related to us the story of how Padre Pio appeared to her five years ago, telling her that she will be cured while she doesn’t even know who he was. It is only when she saw the picture of Padre Pio that she was able to identify the priest who appeared to her.
I am glad to have been able to celebrate my anniversary mass at the shrine of Padre Pio this time as his remains will be re-interred into the tomb on September next year. I remember watching the life of Padre Pio on tv when I was a little boy and my father explained to me about his stigmata. He was not yet a saint at that time as he was canonized only in 2002.

PRAYER OF PADRE PIO

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I wish it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes, death, judgement, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches. I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!

Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.

Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.

Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but, the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!

Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for. Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.

With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.

Amen

Democracy at work, but...

2008-11-06T03:41:00.013+01:00

While in the United States during the election period, I feel privileged to have witnessed their kind of Democracy at work (not necessarily at its best). There are things that I liked and I hope that those things will be applied in the Philippine Electoral system. But, there are things that I disliked too.

What I liked:

- The two party system: This ensures that there will be no turncoats or "balimbings". Politics of issues and not personalities is promoted.

- The speedy counting of votes: As soon as the polling stations have closed, the winner can be known. It is the very opposite of our electoral system in the Philippines wherein it takes more than a month to know the winners in national elections. Our electoral system should be automated as soon as possible.

-The statesmanship of the losing candidate: Hearing John McCain conceding defeat as soon as he was informed of the final count manifested his statesmanship. It made me wonder if defeated candidate (in a clean and honest election) in the Philippines can ever be capable of such gesture. Being an active PPC-RV volunteer during elections in the Philippines, I can say that almost all losing candidates claim that they were cheated.

What I disliked:

- Mudslinging: This is an aspect of Philippine politics that happens even in the United States (or did we learn it from them?). Both parties were guilty of this in their paid advertisements. It came really harsh when demolition jobs were done against VP Candidate Sarah Palin- particularly when false stories spread that her baby with special needs was the child of her daughter and that she had to cover up for her.

- Media Endorsement: In my humble opinion, this should be prohibited. For, how can the media remain objective if they endorse candidates?

I hope that the winner will be able to fulfill his campaign promises. :)

Thanks Celine, Thanks Charice!

2008-09-17T18:44:00.010+02:00

If not for youtube, I would not have learned that Celine Dion invited our very own Charice Pempengco to sing with her on her concert at the Madison Square Garden as I seldom watch Oprah and TV Patrol on TFC. I got misty-eyed when I watched Celine inviting Charice to sing with her. I have a soft spot on my heart towards people who have humble beginnings and are given the chance of their lives to prove their worth. And thus, for 3 days I have pondered upon whether the concert will be worth the amount I was going to spend for the ticket. I finally decided to buy a loge ticket (same price as a floor level ticket) last Saturday.

I was excited about it. I had to swap my mass schedule with another priest so that I can go to the venue earlier last Monday night. It was my first time to watch a concert at the Madison Square Garden. An old lady was seated on my left and four young Filipino Nurses who just arrived here in the US this year were seated towards my right. The old lady told me that she came to see the “little girl” in Oprah’s show sing duet with Celine. I told her that I came for the same purpose and I proudly said that I am from the Philippines. When Celine sang “Because you love me”, she stopped and introduced Charice as a young girl from the Philippines who had a painful past on account of her parents’ marital problem, who as a kid joined almost every singing contest in her hometown and as someone who sang her songs perfectly and whose voice can blow the roof of Madison Square Garden. And then she called Charice who was seated with her mother next to Celine’s husband to join her in the stage and continue the song with her. She asked Charice what she feels being given the opportunity to perform before thousands of people in one of the world’s greatest concert venues. Charice said that she is nervous but Celine said that she felt the same when she was singing at the age of 12 and that she (Charice) should think that the audience are all her brothers and sisters. And when they sang together, Celine said that the song is dedicated to Charice's mother. We were in tears as Charice belted the high notes of the song. After the duet, the audience gave her a standing ovation and clapped for about 2 minutes. I was mesmerized, got misty-eyed once more and had goose bumps. Celine asked Charice if she will also invite her when she holds her own concert at MSG in the future, Charice giggled and they hugged each other. Celine said that she love her and she can't wait till Charice performs on her own concert at MSG.

Thank you Celine for giving Charice a chance to showcase her talent! Thank you Charice for giving inspiration to millions of Filipinos amidst the quagmire of problems in our country!
You made us proud to be Filipinos!

The two-hour concert was worth every penny I spent for the ticket. It was Celine Dion's first concert in New York in 10 years. My only regret is that I did not bring my camera (not even my point and shoot) as I scrupulously followed what was written in the ticket- “no camera/video recorder allowed”. To my consternation, I saw a lot of people who brought their cameras and the Indian lady seated in front of me even took a video of the entire concert!

The photos below were taken through my phone's cam (please bear with the poor quality).

Here we go again...

2008-08-18T07:01:00.003+02:00

I was right in saying in my previous blogs that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's survival relies on cunning political strategists. As in the past, these spin doctors would flaunt Charter Change to let the other issues against their boss die down. They are doing it again, only this time, politicians such as Pimentel joined the band wagon under the federalism issue as this can only be achieved through charter change. Charter Change is good if the amendments are for the betterment of our economy and to reform our political system but not for perpetuation of power. But then, the spin doctors were once again successful in drifting Arroyo away from the ZTE NBN brouhaha.

My Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

2008-04-03T12:44:00.003+02:00

(Where Our Lord Jesus Christ was Born)

(The site of the Crucifixion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ)

(The spot where Christ our Lord was laid when he was brought down from the Cross)

(The Lord's Tomb- where He was buried and where He rose again)

I have visited shrines of apparitions of Our Mother Mary and saw birthplaces, uncorrupted bodies and tombs of Saints as well as Churches of great significance in different countries but something made me crave for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. At the back of my mind, all of my other pilgrimages would not be complete if I will not be able to see where Our Lord Jesus Christ was born, where He embarked on his ministry and made miracles and where he suffered, died and resurrected. I first planned to go to Holy Land in 2006, when a group of student priests went on a pilgrimage there. Unfortunately, I could not go out of Italy at that time because my permit to stay was not yet renewed. On December of the same year, I wanted to go and spend Christmas in Betlehem but I was discouraged by my friends because of Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah at that time. After two failed tries, my dream was realized as I joined the other Ilocano Priests studying in Rome on a pilgrimage. It was a perfect time for a pilgrimage- a Holy Week in the Holy Land is an experience of a lifetime. However, as the day of our departure fast approached, we were filled with anxiety upon hearing from those who have been there about how hard it is to come in and out of Israel (the removal of things from check in baggages for inspection and the interrogation by at least three immigration officers etc.). We were also afraid because of the recent killing of 9 Jewish seminarians by their Arab driver a week before our flight. Archbishop Yllana, the Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan who happened to be in our residence days before our flight told us that if we keep on allowing fear to engulf ourselves, we will never be able to visit the Holy Land. Here is the rest of our itinerary:

Day 1 (March 15): Arrival, Visit to Notre Dame Chapel (Click here)

Day 2 (March 16) Palm Sunday in Jerusalem: We concelebrated with the Most Rev. Antonio Franco, DD former Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines and current Apostolic Nuncio to Israel for the 9 am Palm Sunday Mass at the Notre Dame Chapel in Jerusalem. We joined the Palm Sunday procession from Bethpage near Mount of Olives to Jerusalem (following the original route of our Lord). Along the way, we met the healing priest Fr. Fernando Suarez who invited us to join his pilgrim group and stay in their hotel free of charge. We already experienced the grace of God in our second day in the Holy Land. (Click here)

Day 3 (March 17)- Caesarea, Haifa, Nazareth, Cana: We visited the ancient port of Caesarea and the Church of Stella Maris in Haifa. We concelebrated mass with Fr. Suarez at the Church of Annunciation (the site where the Angel Gabriel told Mary about God’s plan) in Nazareth. Pilgrims who are celebrating their wedding anniversary renewed their vows at the Church of Cana where Jesus turned water into wine during a wedding feast. (Click here )

Day 4 (March 18)- Sea of Galilee, Mt. Beatitudes, Caphernaum, Tabgha and Jordan River: We crossed the Sea of Galilee (where Jesus walked on the water) on a boat captained by a Messianic Jew (Jewish Christian). We concelebrated mass in Mt. Beatitudes (where the Lord preached theBeatitudes). We visited the town of Jesus in Caphernaum and saw the ruins of Peter’s house. We also visited the Tabgha church where the multiplication of loaves took place. Lastly, we visited the Jordan River (where Christ was baptized). Click here

Day 5 (March 19)- Mt. Tabor, Jaffa: We attended mass in the Transfiguration Church in Mt. Tabor (place of Transfiguration). We also visited St. Peter’s Church in Jaffa. (Click here )

Day 6 (March 20)- Abu Gosh: We went to a Retreat House in Abu Gosh (between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem). We concelebrated the Mass of the Last Supper and we gave a retreat to the El Shaddai members from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. (Click here)

Day 7 (March 21)- Good Friday in Jerusalem: After giving talks on the seven last word, we went back to Jerusalem and did the Via Crucis. Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we paid homage to the place where Christ was crucified, the stone where he was laid after he was taken from the cross, and the tomb where he was laid to rest and where He resurrected on the third day. (Click here )

Day 8 (March 22) Jericho, Dead Sea, Easter Vigil in Jerusalem: We visited the spot where the house of Zaccheus once stood as well as the sycamore tree purported to be the tree Zaccheus climbed to see Lord. We also went to the Mount of Temptation where Christ was tempted by the devil and where the the Qarantal Monastery is located. After lunch, we proceeded to the Dead See. In the evening we concelebrated the Easter Vigil Mass. (Click here )

Day 9 (March 23) Chapel of the Ascension, Church of Gethsemani, Wailing Wall: We visited and prayed at the small chapel where Christ Ascended into Heaven and the Church of Gethsemani where Christ spent his agony before he was arrested. The olive trees (thousands years old) are still there. We joined our Jewish brethren in praying at the “wailing wall” late in the afternoon. (Click here)

Day 10 (March 24) Ein Kerem, Bethany, Pater Noster and Betlehem: We were fortunate to have Sr. Aurora, SPC as our guide to the Arab Controlled parts of the Holy Land. We first visited and prayed at the Visitation Church (where the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth took place) and the Church of St. John (where John the Baptist was born) in Ein Kerem. We proceeded to Bethany where we visited the tomb of Lazarus and the Church of Martha and Mary (where their house used to stand). We also visited the Pater Noster Church in Mt. of Olives (where the Lord taught his disciples the Pater Noster). We sang the Our Father in Tagalog and Ilocano. In the afternoon, we went to Betlehem where we visited the Milk Chapel (where Mary nursed baby Jesus before they fled to Egypt), the Basilica of the Nativity (where Christ our Lord was born), and the Shepherds’ Field (where the angel appeared to the Shepherds).Click here

Day 11 (March 25) St. Peter’s Church in Galicantu, The Last Supper Room (Cenaculum), The Church of Dormision: On our Last Day, we visited the Church of Galicantu (where Peter felt remorse on his denial of the Lord upon hearing the cock crow), the Last Supper Room (where the Lord instituted the Eucharist), and the Dormision Church (where Mary went into her eternal sleep). Click here

I wish that every priest will be able to visit the Holy Land. Visiting the place where it all happened helps a lot in understanding the context of the Gospels.

Truth has its own way of manifesting itself

2008-02-27T10:56:00.002+01:00

My father used to tell me as a kid that truth can never be hidden because those who hide it know about it. It must have been providential that I chose the Gospel passage “I consecrate myself for their sakes now that they may be consecrated in truth (Jn. 17:19)” as the theme for my ordination to the priesthood. These words have seemingly permeated my innermost being because in the performance of my ministry, I made it a sort of conviction to involve myself on issues that call for transparency, honesty and accountability- the pillars of truth. In such undertaking, I have noticed that it is not an easy task to unravel the truth. There are instances when the truth is concealed in order to hide one’s wrongdoing. There are instances when even the obvious cannot be perceived by people who are unwilling to be bearers of truth. There are instances when the truth is hindered by people who play blind so as not to tarnish other’s reputation. And worst, there are times when people get killed for being mouthpiece of the truth. In the midst of such attempts to obscure the truth, I have noticed that the truth has its own way of manifesting itself. An example in recent memory is when the erstwhile champion of truth and transparency in public service Senator Joker Arroyo tried to point out bad faith on Jun Lozada’s part because he talked to other senators prior to his coming out in the open on his knowledge about the anomalies on the ZTE deal. Lozada proved him wrong by admitting that he talked even to his wife.

In the pursuit for truth, one should have patience and faith. No amount of threat, alibis, attempts to cover up and legal eloquence can conceal the truth. My recent endeavour in pursuit for truth has proven this all the more- with prayerful disposition, proof for truth comes out even as there are efforts to hinder it. No matter how uncertain the odds are, when the truth comes out it will shed light to what is obscure, both rendered and per se.

Through God’s grace, truth manifests itself and it should never be compromised by those who grasp it.

Fr. Robert, please don’t play into Malacañang’s hands…

2008-02-15T10:58:00.021+01:00

I am saddened that Fr. Robert Reyes, a colleague not only in the priesthood but also on social issues, criticized the bishops by saying over national tv that the CBCP toned down its statement on the ZTE scam because the bishops fear that donations will stop coming. In doing so, the touted running priest has unwittingly played into the liking of Malacañang. A Church divided will surely be a cause for rejoicing for them. I moderate my words, lest I might aggravate the effect which Malacanang would be so pleased to see, as a fellow priest reminded me that criticizing Fr. Robert will only make them all the more happy.

Hence, this is just a wake up call from a lowly “probinsyanong pari” to a flamboyant priest: Fr. Robert, please do not play into Malacañang’s hands by sowing intrigue and division. The enemy is not the CBCP. While you are free to say what you want to say, you cannot drag people into saying what you want them to say.

As an individual, I join my voice to the clamour for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s resignation but I do not impose it upon others. I respect the CBCP exhortation to “pray together, reason together, decide together, act together," which was also criticized and belittled by the Philippine Daily Inquirer on its Feb. 15, 2008 editorial which seems to have been written by a priest. The way I understood it, the CBCP cannot as of yet call for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s resignation because it still has to discern the truth as it unfolds based from credible witnesses and evidences. As a canon lawyer, I must stress that the CBCP is a collegial body which does not issue pastoral statements based on the whims and caprices neither of a priest, a bishop nor a group of bishops.

This might be it…

2008-02-08T14:20:00.001+01:00

The damaging testimony of Rodolfo Noel Lozada, Jr. on the ZTE mess that has tainted the already besmirched regime of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo might just ignite the swelling of stronger clamour for her to resign. Although the testimony of Lozada did not, in anyway, directly implicate GMA on the ZTE scam, logic makes it obvious that she is involved through her husband. Malacanang’s lieutenants were quick to say that Lozada’s testimony did not incriminate the First Gentleman, but again, logic would tell us that Abalos’ involvement in this hullabaloo could not be without the blessings of the powers that be. On the other hand, the senators should go beyond grandstanding (some senators appear to be investigating in aid, not of legislation but of their 2010 ulterior motives). Sad to say, nothing has ever happened in senate investigations of anomalies like this except that it has effectively ensured the said senators’ selfish agenda. Cases should be filed in courts and laws should be legislated to compel transparency in similar transactions.

Of Political Vendetta and Sour Graping

2008-02-04T22:09:00.000+01:00

The recent event at the Philippine House of Representatives showcased dirty Philippine politics at its best. Speaker De Venecia was ousted as a consequence of his son’s expose on the ZTE broadband deal. Though the Arroyos in Congress deny it , the machination is pure and blatant political vendetta. Pushed against the wall, the trapo in De Venecia suddenly tried to mutate into a crusader against graft and corruption stressing on his moral revolution vision, implying that Arroyo is corrupt and that he knew about the cheating in the 2004 presidential election. He griped about having helped President Arroyo in her political career and bragged that he stood by her amidst all the anomalies that besmirched her Presidencyl. He re acted like a sour graping child. His wife was also shown on tv saying that she knows also about the cheating in 2004. The thing is, why are they only speaking now when those issues have died down? Such actuation would confirm that pure intention is rarity and ulterior motive abound ln Philippine politics.

The only good thing that I see in this event is that it paved the way for a new leadership. I hope that the new leader will be better than De Venecia. On the other hand, let us keep our fingers crossed that De Venecia and his wife are really serious in exposing everything they know and substantiate their accusations so as to spark a real strong clamour for the ouster of President Arroyo.

10th Anniversary

2007-12-05T10:14:00.001+01:00

(My Ordination Logo)

Today is the 10^th Anniversary of my Sacerdotal Ordination. I celebrated the Mass in joyful thanksgiving to God for the gift of Vocation at the Mother of Mercy Grotto beneath St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. My friends Fr. Gregory Gaston and Fr. Tony Ricarte concelebrated with me. I am sharing with you my mother’s speech after my ordination (my father died two years before I was ordained):

“My Only Son- Now A Priest”

Your Excellencies- Bishop Miguel Purugganan and Co-Adjutor Bishop Sergio Utleg, Rev. Monsignori, Rev. Fathers, Beloved Friends and Relatives, Good Morning.

Where should I begin…. I do not know how to start for I have diverse feelings as I stand before you this morning- a feeling of happiness and a feeling of pensiveness. On one hand, I am happy and full of eagerness because at long last, my son’s cherished dream of reaching the goal for which he has been called has been realized. On the other hand, I should say that contrasting this feeling of gladness is a lingering anxiety due to the conspicuous absence of my late husband on this momentous event in the life of our only son.

Twenty-seven years ago, my late husband and I were both very happy and filled with enthusiasm when I gave birth to a very healthy baby boy- our second child. Our old folks were then very exuberant- arguing among themselves whom the baby boy would be like. The first thing we did was to give him a name- we got his name from the calendar which was then customary at that time- interestingly, we gave him the name of a great Pope who became a saint- St. Gregory VII. Little did we know, he is going to live up literally closer to his name- Gregorio, which also comes from the Latin word grex- which means flock. As a priest, he will be tending and guiding a flock- the Lord’s flock.

Grevy, as he is fondly called, was brought up in an atmosphere wherein he was made aware of God’s presence and love as we opened his eyes into our faith. This, for us, is our greatest achievement as his parents. He grew up like any other normal boy- playful, active and full of excitement. At such an early age we already noticed in him the earlier manifestations of the seed of vocation. I do not know if Fr. Grevy could still remember- when he was barely five years old, there is one instance which has literally manifested such an inclination. As some of you could recall, my late Mother-in-law was then the one in-charge of the maintenance of the statues of santos and santas in this Church. There was a time when she brought home the garments of those statues for laundry. Little Grevy got a hand on one of them- a white one, and fitted it into himself like a small cassock. Then, he came out running- trying to steal everyone’s attention by saying “innadda bi- Fr. Uanan baddi nga(look at me I am little Fr. Uanan)- obviously inferring himself to his uncle, “Fr. Uanan dakal”- Fr. Pacoy. At that time, also another relative, his first cousin- Fr. Edwin Ramirez was still a seminarian.

What we have noticed were confirmed when, upon graduation from elementary, he intimated unto us that he wanted to study in the minor seminary- San Jacinto Seminary in Tuguegarao. He asked us something which we could not, in any way, refuse. Thus, my late husband and I agreed to send him in that school. Relatives and friends had mixed reactions upon learning that he is entering the seminary- some said that two priests in the clan is enough. Others were concerned that no one will propagate the family name, Grevy being the only son. Nevertheless, we allowed him to pursue what he desired. We did not, in any manner, force him into it. After all, who are we to force into him or to stand against- such a craving of the heart. After the minor seminary, he decided to continue. He entered the major seminary. Again, we did not stand on his way. Neither was his decision due to our propensity. It was his vocation, not ours. At that time we are sure about his conviction and we have accepted it. The least that we could do was to support and nurture his calling and pray for his success. This we did until he has reached his goal. We are, therefore, glad that he has reached this moment in his life.

My dear son, today marks the attainment of your aspiration. You are now standing by the altar of the Lord. We share in your blissfulness on this day. Allow me then to give you some parental advises before you are plunged into the real world. You must not be engrossed about having reached the top because the priesthood entails leading and serving at the same time. The priesthood is not a career where the success is gauged by fame, wealth and gain. Look at this moment as the beginning, not the fulfillment, for it is in how you will serve that your success will be seen. Moreover, you should not claim the success- for this belongs to God whom you shall serve all your life as his instrument. Be faithful to your vocation.

Finally, as I wind up my message I would like to take the opportunity to thank the bishop and the co-adjutor bishop with the clergy of the diocese of Ilagan in welcoming my son into their fold. I did not lost a son, rather we have gained a larger family in you. To Fr. Pacoy(Fr. Uanan “dakal”) who has untiringly supported Fr. Grevy(Fr. Uanan “baddi”- no longer small literally speaking). To the seminary formators here present, who have guided my son during his seminary formation and to those who have helped my son reach his goal in one way or another, my deepest gratitude. To all of you dear friends and relatives who have graced this most awaited moment in the life of my son, Thank You Very Much!

To my dear friends on the net, please pray for me....

They were just doing their job but…

2007-12-03T06:32:00.000+01:00

The arrest of media people in the Failed Revolution at the Pen brought about so many questions that need to be answered. Is there a limit on journalists’ participation in such situation? Are they obstructionists or just doing their job? I surmise that in their zeal to fulfil their job they have unwittingly become human shields for the rebel soldiers. It was part of the perpetrators' game plan to have them stay inside the hotel. The military and the police were in a quandary as to how they could attack the “rebels” with the media people inside. They had to device a softer attack. There could have been bloodshed had the media people left the rebels and their civilian sympathizers led by an ageing political butterfly, an ageing street parliamentarian, an ageing bishop and a running priest. Trillanes and Lim could have been killed without them. Why would the perpetrators want the media to remain with them? Aside from media mileage, the perpetrators and any pundit knew the obvious- if media people have been hit by stray bullets, the international community will raise a howl and it will ignite a broader indignation from the people. Such scenario could have resulted into GMA’s downfall.

The media should follow a protocol in such situation (I do not know if there is an existing one) so as not to endanger their lives. Neither should they allow themselves to be used. They are intelligent people, they ought to know when they are being used or not.Their being handcuffed and arrested, though, were an overreaction by the police. The police could have just brought them for questioning at the Makati Police Headquarters instead of the long tedious ride to Bicutan. But of course, the authorities were sending a strong message to intimidate the seemingly partisan media (their threat now is “sue us and we will sue you too”). It is part of what they termed as “shock and awe” response.

There are no winners in this, only losers.

Media Sensationalism and the Church

2007-11-17T18:56:00.000+01:00

The purported reason for the suicide of a young girl in Davao was proven to be an issue hyped-up by media sensationalism. At first the media projected that the young girl committed suicide because of poverty. The initial reports had her diary as a basis. As a result, a Bishop commented that her death is everybody’s fault, activists used the poor child’s name to put the blame on the government, Davao politicians blamed each other and one politician even cursed his political rival on television. All of these are consequences of the emerging trend of decadence in the quality of journalism in the Philippines. As the body of the child was exhumed, the medico-legal found out that there is evidence that the child has been raped. This is the real cause of the child’s suicide. It is horrible that the child, even in her death, has become a victim of media sensationalism all for the sake of a sure-hit banner story or headline that would sell newspapers and tabloids and draw the attention of tv viewers.

Most journalists could no longer separate raw news from a commentary. It is one thing to report the news per se. It is another thing to comment on the news. The Church is also a victim of such journalistic trend. For instance, every time a Bishop speaks, news items would refer to it as a “CBCP stand”. On television interviews, I have noticed on several instances that before they show the bishop being interviewed, the CBCP building in Intramuros is first shown. One bishop or a group of bishops is not the CBCP. Sometimes the Bishops are caught off guard and are pitted against each other (in one case, a bishop said that the Church condemns suicide, the other bishop says the Church has softened its stance and the headline for it came out as “Bishops divided on suicide”). Sadly, the bishops have unwittingly allowed themselves to be victims of media sensationalism. The CBCP media office should step in and put things in proper perspective so as not to mislead the laity on things that pertain to faith and morals.

ENOUGH!

2007-10-25T23:52:00.000+02:00

Controversies and anomalies came one after another (this blog will sound like a handbook in criminal law if I write them all here), yet Gloria Macapagal Arroyo seemed not to care. She remains unperturbed because of her control of the lower house which assured her of protection from impeachment. The tipping point has now begun as yet another set of anomalies have tainted her governance. These things have proven only one thing- she is incorrigible! Her most recent blunder is the hurried granting of pardon to the convicted plunderer- Joseph Estrada only a month after his conviction. The granting of pardon at this time is besmirched with opportunistic motives as she is now on the edge of a cliff. She did it for political survival. By such actuation she now casts a dark shadow over the glimmer of hope for our justice system brought about by the conviction of Joseph Estrada for the crime of plunder last month.

When the “Hello Garci” controversy erupted, Mrs. Susan Roces said over national tv: “Ang mandaraya ay kapatid ng magnanakaw" (some people even made a text joke about it by saying that GMA's marriage to Mike Arroyo is null and void because they are 'magkapatid'). As GMA hastily granted pardon to Joseph Estrada, I can also say: ANG MAGNANAKAW, MADALING NAPAPATAWAD ANG KAPWA MAGNANAKAW!

While I have not joined those who called for GMA’s resignation in my previous blogs, I now join my voice to such clamor. My fear then was that there is no perceived alternative leader at that time. Her incorrigibility changed my mind- I now believe that her continued stay in office will further plunge our country into a quagmire of moral degradation.

On the Guilty Verdict on ERAP

2007-09-12T14:19:00.000+02:00

As one of the convenors of the ERAP Resign Movement in Isabela Province in 2000, the guilty verdict on ERAP came to me as a triumph of justice and the Philippine Judicial System. As anticipated, there were different reactions to the verdict. I was particularly dismayed to hear Senator Villar say that he is disappointed because he hoped for ERAP’s acquittal. When asked by media people why was he for ERAP’s acquittal while as a matter of fact he was instrumental for the transmission of the impeachment case of ERAP from the House of Representatives to the Senate in 2000, he said that the impeachment was “not meant to convict but only to clarify certain matters”. Coming from a Senator and a senate president at that, such ignorance of the law is deplorable. Article XI section 2 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states: “The President, the Vice President, the Members of the Supreme Court, the Members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman may be removed from office, on impeachment for, and conviction of, culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust. All other public officers and employees may be removed from office, as provided by law, but not by impeachment.” Based on this, the impeachment proceeding is certainly not a mere “clarification of certain matters”. Obviously, Senator Villar said those words only to appease the Estradas and earn their support/endorsement in the 2010 Presidential Election. Should he be elected President in 2010, their wishes will be his command.

From among the topnotch lawyers of ERAP it was only Estelito Mendoza who gave a logical reaction based on the verdict and based on law. Others, most notably Rene Saguisag, were fallacious. He showed a book to prove that all special courts like that of the special Sandiganbayan Court that tried ERAP were created to convict the accused. It was like saying that they (ERAP’s lawyers) knew from the very beginning that he will be convicted as guilty. If that was the case, then why did they still argue in the said court for six long years? They also continued to pound on the credibility of Chavit Singson. I think that Chavit Singson was right when he said that ERAP’s lawyers are to blame because instead of presenting evidences to prove ERAP’s innocence, they used media propaganda to counter the prosecutors’ various witnesses and voluminous documentary evidences.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada and some of his father’s lawyers have questioned the conviction on the basis of Jueteng Payola and the kick back on the Bell Corporation stocks sold to to GSIS and SSS. They said that these are not government money as if to impute that the plunder case is confined to public funds. I am a Canon Lawyer not a civil lawyer. But, one does not have to be a civil lawyer to be able to understand the following Provisions of Section 1, d no. 2 of the Republic Act No. 7080 (An act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Plunder) which states: “By receiving, directly or indirectly, any commission, gift, share, percentage, kickbacks or any other form of pecuniary benefit from any person and/or entity in connection with any government contract or project or by reason of the office or position of the public officer concerned;”

Others have also reacted and said that there are more government officials (GMA included) who should be charged with plunder. To them, I say, gather evidences and file cases. If there is something good that should come out from the guilty verdict on ERAP aside from the triumph of our judicial system, it should be that it stands as a warning to those who hold power and use it to enrich themselves because no matter how powerful they are, the long arms of law will eventually catch them. Our justice system should now be consistent in punishing the guilty no matter how powerful he/she is and no matter how unpopular the decision may be. Dura lex, sed lex.

An Inspiration from Former President Nixon

2007-09-04T12:15:00.000+02:00

In his final speech to the White House staff before he resigned, Former President Nixon said:
"Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself."

In the midst of my most recent debacle with some unscrupulous individuals, these words have inspired me aside from the Bible and from my friends' support and comforting words. Indeed, there is no need for me to be discouraged and be continously distraught for in so doing, those people will only win and it will only lead me towards self-destruction.

Taming the Tongue

2007-08-28T21:10:00.000+02:00

When I was a little boy my grandmother spiced up our conversation with wise sayings like "Keep your tongue between your teeth" and "Think twice before you speak once." The Scottish people would put it this way: "Keep your tongue a prisoner and your body will go free" and "A long tongue shortens friendships." My mother would also tell us, "Remember, one day you'll answer to God for every word you say."

The Bible mentions many kinds of tongues:
a flattering tongue (Psalm 5:9)
a proud tongue (Psalm 12:3; 73:9)
a lying tongue (Psalm 109:2; Prov. 6:17)
a deceitful tongue (Psalm 120:2)
a perverted tongue (Prov. 10:31; 17:20)
a soothing tongue (Prov. 15:4)
a healing tongue (Prov. 12:18)
a destructive tongue (Prov. 17:4)
a mischievous and wicked tongue (Psalm 10:7)
a soft tongue (Prov. 25:15)
a backbiting tongue (Prov. 25:23)

St. James also talks about the tongue. He says it's a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. He calls the tongue a fire, the very world of iniquity. James says it is untamable, a restless evil full of deadly poison, used both to bless God and to curse men. But James also told us that a man who doesn't stumble in what he says is a perfect(James 3:2-10) man.

I wonder how startled James would be today to find out how much man has "conquered." We've put men into big, fancy tin cans, and shot them off into space. We've sent men into submarines without coming up to the surface for months. Man has had the moon under his feet and he's left his footprints on the ocean floor as well. We've also put some fantastic canisters up into the sky, bouncing our voices off these satellites to countries around the world. Look at how we've harnessed the wind with giant windmills, and made the rivers and waterfalls drive our turbines. What incredible power man has over his world! And yet, he has still not conquered his own tongue.

In James 3: 6 the tongue is called "a sword." This sword has certainly damaged, bruised, wounded, and killed more people than all the swords in all the wars since history began. You've seen it many times. That newly married couple - so lovey-dovey for days and days on end. But one day the fellow lost his temper and slashed into the heart and affections of his wife with uncontrollable anger and with words he might regret forever. But it was said. The damage was done. How often we need to remember that old saying: We cannot call back the arrow we've shot into the air, the water under the bridge, or the spoken word, the bag full of feathers we threw into the air.

And they finally met…

2007-07-27T20:13:00.000+02:00

Monsignor Francisco U. Uanan (on the Right) and Fr. Reynaldo Adalid, OP (on the Left) are two priests I hold with high esteem. The former is my Uncle while the latter is my Spiritual Director in Rome. They were classmates at the UST Faculty of Sacred Theology when they were seminarians. My uncle stayed at the UST Central Seminary while Fr. Rey, a Dominican Priest, stayed at the Sto. Domingo Convent. My Uncle is visiting from the Philippines and Fr. Rey Adalid, OP is currently assigned as a summer parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Staten Island, NY. It is providential that my uncle was able to visit me in my summer parish here in Jersey City, NJ- about 15 minutes drive to Fr. Rey’s summer parish. They finally met last Tuesday (July 24th). Prior to this meeting, they only saw each other on pictures and they were very eager to see each other after 43 years!

The meeting was dramatic. They were very happy and exuberant in seeing each other. They hugged and they laughed so loud. They reminisced their good old days in UST, remembering the old Spanish Friars and their other classmates. They told me that it was harder during their time in UST than during my time because their lessons were taught in Latin and that they had to speak Spanish when they talk to their Spanish Friar Professors.

I have learned a lot from both of them. They are my idols. They have so many things in common. I will cherish the wisdom they have inculcated in my mind as well as the good example they have shown.

Let the elected Governor and Vice-Governor of Isabela be Proclaimed!

2007-06-05T11:20:00.000+02:00

It is disgusting that the winning Vice-Governor and Governor of Isabela Province were not yet proclaimed until now. Based on this statement of Fr. Antonio Ancheta (Chairperson of PPCRV-NAMFREL-NASSA ISABELA), the people came to vote and their votes were counted. Hence, it is clear that there are winners and there are losers and there is no failure of election contrary to what is claimed by the losing candidate (please mouse click on this document to make it legible):

A lesson for Pacquiao and other celebrity electoral candidates: Running for Public Office is not a Popularity Contest

2007-05-21T17:08:00.000+02:00

If there is something positive in the recent Philippine Election (which I branded as Jurassic in my recent entry), it is the semblance of maturity among the electorate: majority of movie stars and other celebrity candidates were clobbered. One of those celebrities is Manny Pacquiao.

As one of the millions of fans of Manny Pacquiao, the boxing champ, I am happy that he didn’t get elected. For, how in the world can he effectively fulfill his duties as a congressman while being a topnotch boxer at the same time had he won? Reports said that he is disappointed and depressed over his lost. He now resorts to blaming even his political leaders- he complains that his money was pocketed by his supposed leaders. We cannot blame him for such actuation for he might have spent a fortune in his campaign. It is the kind of reaction we see from every neophyte politician who lose at the first try. The people around him made him believe that he is invincible.

One important thing which Manny didn’t put into consideration is the vaunted political machinery of his opponent who is a descendant of a political family that has reigned in their province for generations. His camp did not exert efforts to employ strategies to counter such. He relied solely on his popularity. He should have anticipated that the crowds that gathered in his rallies are not actual votes. It was his celebrity status and the movie stars he brought in his rallies that attracted the crowds, not his platform which didn’t have any remarkable difference from his opponent’s. Come Election Day, the crowds did not necessarily translate into votes. But, why oh why? The answer lies in the fact that in our political system (which I abhor), if a local candidate does not have the backing of the Barangay Captains, there is slim chance for one to get elected. When I was still a seminarian serving in the villages during summer, I have witnessed how powerful the Barangay Captains are, especially in the far-flung villages. Their voice is like God’s to their constituents. Their constituents become captive votes to the candidates they campaign for.

Manny became blind and deaf because of his sheer belief that his popularity can deliver the votes. Even the other candidates (Lito Lapid, Kit Atienza, etc.) whom he endorsed did not win. Worse, his candidacy gave the impression that he was just persuaded by Malacanang, with the intention of thwarting the candidacy of a known critic. It was already too late when he came back to his senses. I hope that this setback gave him profound lessons in life.

The Jurassic Philippine Electoral System

2007-05-16T07:23:00.000+02:00

I could only watch (on TV and internet) with pity at how last Monday’s Philippine election was conducted. Nothing has changed in our electoral process since the first time I exercised my right to vote 20 years ago. People complained of the same problems: names of voters are not on the voter’s list while dead peoples’ names are still on the list. After the voting, the snail-paced manual counting began and the usual problems occurred- ballot box snatching, deliberate brown-outs for cheating purpose and ballot box and Election Returns switching in some areas. No wonder why one of the foreign observers remarked that our elections are "worse, compared to Afghanistan." I pity the teachers who serve during elections- two teachers were killed in an arson on a school in Batangas while fulfilling their duties; most of the teachers are victims of intimidation from opposing sides; they themselves bring the ballot boxes, most of the time on public transport (the COMELEC always fail to provide transportation fro them) to the place where the votes are to be canvassed after the counting in the precinct level. These things can be avoided if the elections were automated. It is pathetic that those election automated machines are rotting at the storage room of COMELEC because there was anomaly in their purchase.

Months before the elections, during the elections and the days after the elections, the most barbaric indication of our Jurassic system occurred- killings, there were killings everywhere. Yet, the police have the guts of proclaiming that this year’s election is peaceful.

I have been to US and Italy during their elections and I wondered in awe as the results were known the following day and there were no killings and other glitches. When will the Philippines automate its elections? When will the election related violence stop?

Broken Glass

2007-04-28T20:55:00.000+02:00

You liken yourself to a broken glass

It points out to your poignant and painful past

But, being broken should never be an obstacle

in living life on its normal cycle

Brokenness brings forth something that is good

It is one of the realities destined by God

Like a broken seed that grows into something new

A person needs to be broken in order to grow too

Your concern lies in gathering back the pieces

You should take the cue from your experiences

Look back and cure your past

Let them go so that they won’t last

Gathering the pieces of a broken glass

Can sometimes unravel what has come to pass

But if that is the only way to find a cure

It can very well lead to your again-being-whole

Should you not be able to gather all the pieces,

It should not make you slumber into sadness

Gathering the best pieces makes someone better

It surely makes you into a person much stronger

Diamonds emerge by carving out the precious from dirt

And so are you- a new you should come to birth

Tomorrow will be brighter as you trek a new path

The challenges should never bring you into slack

A Short Reflection on the Passion of Christ ( Luke 22:14--23:56)

2007-04-05T23:24:00.000+02:00

From the Gospel account on the Passion of Christ, we can observe three types of people. The first type are those who hate Jesus. They wanted him to die. They accused him. They discredited him. They did everything to destroy him. The Second type are those who were indifferent. They did nothing. They chose to be mere spectators. They didn't care. It was none of their business to be of help, to get involved. The third type were those who became witnesses of Jesus. They were moved. They were touched. They believed. They accepted Jesus and proclaimed that He is the Son of God. They chose Jesus and they followed him. Let us ask ourselves to which type of people do we belong....if we are of the first two types, let us strive to be among the third type.

On the Desecration of Intramuros

2007-03-17T18:58:00.000+01:00

Photo taken from: http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com/

It pains me to read about the desecration being inflicted on Intramuros, one of the last symbols of our Spanish past. A sports complex is being built by Philippine Tourism Authority just several feet away from the famed walls (Costing P25 million, the project touches the outside walls of the Fort Santiago Shrine which has the Rizal Shrine within it), thus defacing a historical monument and possibly endangering the shrine’s structure…- excerpts from news report from manilatimes.net). It is a sad addition to the numerous desecrations that has been done in the past wherein old buildings worthy of being preserved were demolished to give way to malls and high-rise buildings. When will our officials ever learn?

Here in Rome, subway routes were diverted from the original plan so as to avoid some ancient ruins or artifacts that were discovered hundreds of feet below the ground from being destroyed in the course of excavation work to construct tunnels. In our school, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (ANGELICUM), a building's underground electrical wiring system has to be diverted several meters away so as not to destroy an old structure which the diggers have discovered. The Italian government prohibits the building of any structure that would affect such artifacts. Hence, in Italy (and I am sure that the same is done in other countries), even the things that are underground and are not visible are protected from being desecrated. In the Philippines, the Intramuros is very much visible, yet our government does not seem to take care and protect it.

Stop the Killings!!!

2007-03-13T12:30:00.000+01:00

I kept my mouth shut and my keyboards at a halt when the issue about the political killings in the Philippines was first brought out in the news in the early part of 2006. At that time, I thought that the killings were not politically motivated and could have been the result of personal grudges and other cases. But with the rate it has been going on with impunity until now (even after the Melo Commission and the UN human rights body gave their respective reports), the latest of which is a witness in the UN human rights probe, I am now convinced that the killings were politically motivated. It has a chilling effect on me as I reminisce my childhood during martial law- the stage at our basketball court in San Pablo, Isabela (North Luzon) is turned into a makeshift morgue for victims of "salvaging". There was even a time when corpses were brought in that spot continuously for several consecutive weeks. Most of them were not identified and no relatives were there to claim their remains. For sure, they were part of the "desapericados" of martial law- brought into a rural town like ours where they were eventually killed so no one can identify them. It is happening again. The killings that happened 30 years ago is happening again! The government should do something. Its inability to stop the killings validates the accusation that it has condoned such.

GO, Team Unity, ASO and Joker

2007-03-05T14:42:00.000+01:00

Election fever has started in the Philippines. As usual it is a showcase of politics of personalities rather than issues.

GO- This acronym stands for Genuine Opposition. They are composed of Estrada Loyalists and some former Anti-Estrada politicians who become opportunists leaning on Estrada’s perceived popularity among the "masa". They think that they are like the great opposition senators of old as they chose to be proclaimed at the Plaza Miranda and they will only debate with the administration candidates if it will be in Plaza Miranda. But, with the way they jockeyed for position in a photo op with Estrada, they have shown that they are all opportunists, not worthy of being compared to the great senators: Salonga, Manglapus and Aquino, etc. of old.

Team Unity- I still wonder what unity does this team connote aside from letting three former Estrada allies to run in its fold?

ASO- This acronym stands for Angara, Sotto and Oreta, all former allies of Estrada. A jingle depicting them as ASO (dogs) has been airing in the airwaves for weeks now. It is a sad sign of the kind of campaign which politicians employ until now- mud-slinging and character assassination. I just hope that if ever these senators alluded to as ASO will win, they will not resort to vengeance but really become ASO- Astute, Servant-Leaders, and Outstanding lawmakers.

Joker Arroyo- I was delighted in hearing his pod cast interview at the inquirer.net. He is the personification of wisdom in politics. He is cerebral yet not proud; he goes bluntly to the point yet not arrogant. He is one of the vanishing species in Philippine politics.

Global Warming

2007-02-02T11:32:00.000+01:00

Skeptics and government leaders have, for a time, rejected the phenomenon of global warming as a mere figment of a mad scientist’s imagination. Recent weather inconsistencies (snow in places where it does not normally occur, short winter and early spring and wicked weathers), however, have proven that we might now be experiencing a taste of the consequence of global warming. Governments should now focus on the research and manufacture of alternative environmental friendly fuels and regulate the manufacture and use of gas guzzler SUVs and other vehicles or else we are headed into the worse- our world is wounded, our world is bleeding… it needs to recuperate (to paraphrase an elderly in the movie Apocalypto : the earth has given everything but man craves for more until the earth says 'I have nothing more to give'.

Lesson from the Magi

2007-01-06T13:01:00.000+01:00

Today, the Feast of Epiphany (more popularly known back home as the Feast of the Three Kings or Magi) is celebrated in Rome. When I was a kid, I always looked forward for this Feast every year as it was a chance for my ninongs and ninangs to make their “pahabol” gifts which they may have “forgotten" or failed to give during Christmas and New Year.

As years have passed, I have given different homilies on this Feast. My favorite homily is putting emphasis on the meaning of Epiphany as self manifestation of the Lord. The Lord Manifests himself to us and we must respond. There is no better response than that shown by the Magi. The Gospel of St. Mark tells us that “they departed to their own country by another way” after meeting the Lord. This is the best response to our Lord’s manifestation to us. We meet him in the sacraments, we meet him in the scriptures, we meet him through other people. We must change our ways after meeting him. Every instance of the Lord’s manifestation upon us should result into change in our lives by going into another way- the better way.

Gift Wraps

2006-12-23T22:20:00.000+01:00

We are in the season of gift-giving and gift-receiving. Like our Christmas gifts, Jesus may come wrapped this Christmas. On the first Christmas, He came inside another person, His mother Mary. This Christmas, He may come inside another person, and the wrapping will not be impressive. We will be tempted to throw the package away, assuming nothing of value is inside. Like Joseph, we will be tempted 'to divorce her quietly' (Mt 1:19). In doing that, we will unknowingly divorce Jesus and therefore Christmas.

The innkeeper made the same mistake (Lk 2:7). The Messiah came in the package of a man and his teenage wife. The innkeeper wouldn't accept it. Jesus may come to us inside a poor man. He may come inside a person whom we dislike. Like the innkeeper, people often reject Him in these. He comes wrapped in a fetus in a mother's womb, but he is not allowed to be born by abortionists and free choice advocates; worst, as a fetus he becomes good only as a source for stem-cells being researched by the embryonic stem-cell advocates.

He may come wrapped in the Bible, but we see people who divorce themselves from the Bible and most people do not have time to read it.

We always hear messages saying that Christmas should be celebrated everyday. We are already doing that because Jesus always comes wrapped in the Holy Mass. That's why it's called Christ-Mass.

Let us be careful that we may not throw away a package with Jesus inside.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all!!!

Ride on no more!

2006-12-18T11:52:00.000+01:00

(Photo taken from: http://www.gmanews.tv/images/topstories/1217f.jpg )

As expected, the Prayer Rally that was spearheaded by the CBCP yesterday was attended by the opposition stalwarts including Former President Cory Aquino. The good thing is that the Church-based organizers of the prayer rally insisted on a rule not to allow politicians on the stage, not to allow politicians to speak and not to display banners and streamers that have political connotations. This is something new. I hope that all “Prayer Rallies” will be done in that way so as not to taint purely prayerful purpose. It is high time that a line be drawn between a prayer rally and a political rally. The Church has accommodated politicians for the sake of common cause and clamors in the past. But recent developments have shown that politicians of both sides of the political sphere try to court the Church’s nod on issues that pertain to leadership and governance in the Philippines. The CBCP’s reluctance to heed the oppositions’ call for President GMA’s resignation drew a hush among those who expect the Church to lead another EDSA. On the other hand, there are bishops who deviate from the official stand of the CBCP on such issues and chose to assert their “independence” as individual prelates. It is good that there are only about five of them. I have said in a previous article that such defiant and deviant stance of some bishops send wrong signals and cause confusion among the faithful. The CBCP is on the right track with the latest Prayer Rally it organized, but it must also dissuade its members from defying its official stance and pronouncements.

Let us pray for consistency.

Duped?

2006-12-12T15:05:00.000+01:00

With the announcement of House Speaker Jose de Venecia that the house majority is now in favor of ConCon (constitutional convention) instead of con-ass as a means of changing the Philippine Constitution, it seems that those (almost all senators, the CBCP, El Shaddai, etc.) who have vocally expressed their opposition to the con-ass mode of charter change were duped. They did not foresee a plan C after a failed plan a (people’s initiative) and plan b (con-ass without the senate) which earned public outrage. Through plan c (constitutional convention), Charter Change advocates seem to say to those who were against con-ass, “Ok, so you like concon? Let's do concon!!!” By such cunning move, Jose de Venecia proved that he is the quintessential TRAPO master spinner- ever ready to do “areglo” on everything.

Will the CBCP no longer oppose Charter Change through a concon? It must be noted that in a strongly worded press statement entitled “Please. No to Con-Ass, yes to Con-Con” issued by the CBCP President Archbishop Lagdameo on December 5, 2006, the good archbishop said: “We continue to believe that major shifts in the form of government require widespread participation of civilian society, and relative serenity allowing national discussion and debate. This is best done through a Constitutional Convention (CON-CON) where the members are elected by the people precisely for the purpose of framing a new Constitution. We have many illustrious and credible non-politicians who can help frame a new Constitution. A CON-CON might be very expensive, but it is worth spending much for something that is good for the greatest number. And so we say: YES, TO CHA-CHA through CON-CON.” (to read the entire statement, click this: http://www.cbcponline.net/presidents/pleasenotoconassyestoconcon.html )

The question now is whether or not those who opposed the other modes of charter change and favor a constitutional convention are really true to their word or did they merely flaunt what they thought will never be accepted by the charter change proponents? Credibility is at stake here for the CBCP. Never mind the senators, they are all politicians. Never mind the El Shaddai and the Iglesia ni Kristo for they have lost credibility by being partisan all the time. Villanueva’s Jesus is Lord Movement will never be a factor (he could not even muster the solid vote of his members in the last presidential election).

Let us wait and see.

9th Sacerdotal Anniversary

2006-12-05T11:36:00.000+01:00

I was ordained to the priesthood 9 years ago today. I did a sort of self-evaluation on how far have I gone on my priesthood last night. I realized that a lot of things have happened in my life as a priest. There were triumphs and there were setbacks…. There were moments of motivation and there were moments of rejection. There were challenges solved but there were more left unsolved. Amidst these contrasting experiences I can only thank the Lord for the gift of vocation. Today, the words of my mother when she was given the chance to talk on the day of my ordination (as it was customary in our diocese) reverberates in my hearing: “My dear son, today marks the attainment of your aspirations. You are now standing by the altar of the Lord. We share in your blissfulness on this day. Allow me then to give you some parental advice before you are plunged into the real world. You must not be engrossed about having reached the top because the priesthood entails leading and serving at the same time. The priesthood is not a career where the success is gauged by fame, wealth and gain. Look at this moment as the beginning, not the fulfillment, for it is in how you will serve that your success will be seen. Moreover, you should not claim the success- for this belongs to God whom you shall serve all your life as his instrument. Be faithful to your vocation.”

n.b. I celebrated my 9th year in the Priesthood with a Eucharist in one of the Grotto Chapels at the Basilica of St. Peter early this morning. With me was my ever kind and thoughtful friend- Fr. Freddie Billanes.

Purely Politics: Addition, not subtraction

2006-11-24T01:25:00.000+01:00

When I was in high school I heard an old, cunning politician in our province say that “politics is addition, not subtraction” in his effort to forge a unique coalition of opposing parties which is done only in our province- Isabela. Little did I know that it was a ploy to corner the lucrative election funds from every party. The saying came back to my mind as the Philippines gears this early for its midterm elections on May 2007. Names are being floated. Unity coalitions are being suggested by spinners. Reading the names on the opposition’s senatorial slate makes me quiver. It is a mix up of the Anti-Erap and Pro-Erap personalities in the events that led to Edsa Dos. I have admired most of these politicians as they have shown hope for a principled politics in the past. But I no longer have the same regard for them now. It makes me ponder that for most of our politicians, politics is personal survival rather than principled advocacy and public service. Those who seemed to be principled in the past now go down to the level of kissing the hands of a leader known to be a womanizer, gambler and accused of plunder just to obtain his endorsement which, sadly, is still being adhered to by constituents whom I hate to call "the uneducated voters". By doing so, those politicians trampled upon their own principles, if they have principles at all.

Philippine politics remains, predominantly, a politics of “addition, not subtraction” and it will remain as such if we unwittingly continue to support that system. Such is bad politics. It is a politics devoid of principles. We should shun this kind of politics if we want to see a better Philippines.

Failed People’s Initiative: What went wrong?

2006-10-26T18:32:00.001+02:00

I have always cherished what my spiritual director in the minor seminary kept on telling me when I was a minor seminarian: “Start everything right.” He elaborated that in basketball, a player couldn’t make a high percentage lay up if he takes off with the wrong foot and that in farming, good harvest is a result of proper preparation of the soil by cleaning and putting some fertilizer. He went on saying that every good result is a product of a good start.

Such adage was proven in the case of the "People’s Initiative". It was doomed from the very beginning because it took off on the wrong foot (deliberately by self-serving politicians). “People’s Initiative” is a misnomer at its best as most of those signatures were merely attendance sheets signed by people who attended meetings in the barangays. I am privy of such practice specially in the provinces. When I was on the Anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) campaign in the Philippines, we found out that most of those purported petitions by farmers calling for the approval of field tests were attendance sheets on barangay meetings which were later attached to the petition paper the contents of which majority of the farmers said they couldn't comprehend.

I am in favor of charter change, but not in such self-serving manner. Did we ever hear GMA talk about charter change before the Garci Tapes surfaced? NO! It was just one of the best escape routes concocted by Malacanang’s spin doctors. It was a win-win formula suggested by FVR with the advice that GMA should resign before it is implemented. But GMA was not amenable to it and so she insisted on CHACHA with her till 2010.

The "People’s Initiative" to change the constitution failed because it started wrongly, the signatures were obtained wrongly and it was motivated wrongly. The first line of Justice Antonio Carpio’s opinion says it bluntly: “The Lambino group miserably failed to comply with the basic requirements of the Constitution for conducting a people’s initiative.”

THE ABSURDITY OF ESCUDERO

2006-10-13T07:36:00.000+02:00

I find it absurd that Congressman Escudero proposed the giving of a 1 peso instead of 31.9 million budget to the MTRCB simply because the MTRCB rated the biopic of Erap with an X. It is a politically motivated move from a supposedly well educated politician. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that “Escudero said he recommended the lowest budget for MTRCB because the opposition strongly disagreed with the board’s decision to give an X rating to the Estrada documentary film, to which they insisted the MTRCB had no jurisdiction over.” If that were the case, then why not question the MTRCB’s authority at the Supreme Court? What might become of the Philippine Senate if people like Escudero will become one of its members? Erap- lovers like him are the very reason why the Anti-GMA movements did not and will never succeed.

The UST Tigers are UAAP Basketball Champs Again: A Real Cinderella Finish

2006-10-02T14:42:00.000+02:00

When I was in the Philippines last June, I met Fr. Franklin Beltran, OP on a plane from Tuguegarao City to Manila. Fr. Franklin was the most basketball-active Dominican when I was a seminarian at the UST Central Seminary. He is the former sports coordinator of Letran during the time of Samboy Lim and he was the PE Director of UST during the high school days of Marlou Aquino and EJ Feihl. When I played as a Varsity of the Central Seminary (known as ECCLE in the intramurals), he was the manager of the College of Education Varsity. When, I asked him about the UST Tigers' chances on this year’s UAAP Basketball, he said “they will surprise everybody”.

And so, the Tigers have, indeed, surprised everybody. From the cellar of the first round eliminations (they were at the bottom because one after the other, the great players were either sick or injured) they rose to 3rd for the final four. They have already made Thomasians like me proud by securing the no. 3 spot. At the Final Four play-offs, all the more they surprised everybody by beating the favored UE Warriors which enjoyed a twice to beat privilege. Reaching the Finals was already quite an achievement for a team that was never expected by experts to be part of the final four casts.

Game 1 showed the inexperience of the young squad as they bungled a won game with that last one second defensive lapse as they lost 73-72. But in game two, they have proven that they are in the Finals not by sheer luck by clobbering the Blue Eagles 87-71. The game 3 overtime win has proven all pundits wrong. They bagged the Crown with a 76-74 win over the Blue Eagles. This UAAP Championship will be one for the books. It has all the elements of a classic that basketball fans will savor years and decades from now. It was a real Cinderella finish for a young team with a Rookie coach- Pido Jarencio who during his time as a Goldie (the tigers were Goldies at that time) was not able to bring the gold as a lonesome hero of the then UST Goldies in 1984 in a classic match with UE’s Allan Caidic for the 1984 UAAP Finals.

The win brought back the old glory we savored during the four-peat years from1993-1996. I was lucky to be at the UST Central Seminary in those years. I remember going from one Dominican priest to another to ask for most sought after UAAP Championship tickets in all of those years. There was even a time when I had to buy a ringside ticket from the driver of Dennis Espino. But it was Fr. Virgilio Ojoy, OP, the UST Secretary-General at that time, who pampered us with ringside tickets.

I can imagine the Thomasians having a grand victory party at the UST Grounds at this very moment. During the four-peat years, there were roasted calves and packed dinner in each victory celebration. As they celebrate, I am sure they are shouting these cheers over and over again till their voices become hoarse:

GO USTE
Go USTe! Go USTe! Go USTe!Go! Go! Go! Go! (4x)(2x clap) U(2x clap) S(2x clap) T(2x clap) UST Tigers! 1, 2, 3, 4(5x clap) U(5x clap) S(5x clap) T(5x clap) UST TIGERS!

BLACK GOLD BLACK WHITE
L - Black Gold, Black WhiteA - Black Gold, Black WhiteL - Black Gold, Black WhiteA - Black Gold, Black WhiteBlack Gold (clap 2x)Black White (clap 2x)Black Gold (clap), Black White (clap)Go Fight, Fight, FightGo Fight (clap 2x) and win (clap 2x) for U (clap) S(clap) T(clap 3x) FIGHT!

SANTO TOMAS SPELLING
L - Santo Tomas SpellingA - Santo Tomas SpellingL - Santo Tomas Spelling - Santo Tomas Spelling Ready 1, 2, 3 (clap)S-A-N-T-O T-O-M-A-S Santo Tomas Fight!

VIVA SANTO TOMAS
VIVA SANTO TOMAS!!
We are the Tigers the mighty, mighty TigersWe came to cheerAnd to win it with no fear (3x)We are the Tigers the mighty, mighty TigersWe came to cheer 1, 2, 3And to win it with no fear

P-P-O P-O-W-E-R the POWER the TIGER POWER Whooh!

And lastly they will be singing this Hymn with great pride:

UST HYMN
God of all nations

Merciful Lord of our restless being

Sweep with your golden lilies

This fountain of purest light

Trace with the sails of the galleons

The dream beyond our seeing

Touch with the flame of your kindness

The gloom of our darkest night

Keep us in beauty and truth and virtues impassioned embrace

Ever your valiant legions

Imbued with unending grace

Congratulations to coach Pido and the Tigers and also to the Tigresses for winning the women's championship too and to the Salinggawi Dance Troupe for winning the Cheering competion 5 times in a row.

Pope Benedict XVI: Wrongfully condemned and maligned

2006-09-16T03:06:00.000+02:00

(Picture taken by GCU during the Consistory on March 2006)

I find it outrageous that most of our Muslim brothers condemn His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on account of a quotation he used in his lecture at the Aula Magna of the University of Regensburg on Tuesday (12 September 2006). The Pakistani Parliament condemned him. In India, he was likened to Hitler and Mussolini. Elsewhere, his effigy was burned. But, what did the Pope say exactly? He quoted from a book in which 14th-century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel II Paleologos and a Persian have a conversation about truths of Christianity and Islam. "'The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war,' Benedict said. 'He said, I quote, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." These were not the Pope’s words per se as he quoted them from an old book in an effort to venture upon the issue of understanding among religions as his lecture was on Faith and Reason. Does he deserve to be condemned for merely quoting that book?

They demand his apology. But, did they ever consider the context of his quotation? They who condemn him ought to read the Pope’s full lecture, otherwise they are pathetically reactionary and simply irrational. The complete text of his lecture can be read on the Vatican website: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060912_university-regensburg_en.html

REMEMBERRING 9/11: Man can be so cruel....

2006-09-12T04:28:00.000+02:00

Five years ago today, I was watching CNN at about 8:50 P.M. Philippine time, when a newsflash showed that a “small” plane hit one of the buildings of the World Trade Center. They thought at first that it was indeed a small plane that hit. Then came the other plane hitting the other building. At that point, I thought of informing Bishop Utleg because at that time I was living with him at his Residence. I knocked at his door and told him that both buildings of the World Trade Center have been hit by terrorists. We prayed at the private chapel adjacent to his room.

Pondering upon that day of infamy, I realized how man can be so cruel to his fellowmen. Innocent people were killed. People of different races were in that building. It made me think how fragile life can be. Life is made fragile by people who seem to live only in order to hurt. When will such debauchery stop? When will the extremists realize that there is no such god that mandates the killing of innocent people?

G.C. UANAN
11 September 2006

"Nonna and Nonno, I think we are Good People"

2006-08-30T02:32:00.000+02:00

I was invited to eat dinner at the house of an Italian couple here in Franklin Lakes, NJ last Sunday evening. It was a typical Italian dinner: tomato with mozzarella, salami di Milano, roasted pepper and olives for aperitifs, pasta for prima piatto and breaded chicken breast with salad for secunda piatto, apple pie with gelato, cappuccino and sambucha for antipasto. With us was their 12 year old granddaughter. After the antipasto, the wife packed some of the food and brought it to their neighbor who is a an 80 year old widow. When the wife returned, the granddaughter said "Nonna and Nonno (grandma and grandpa) I think we are good people because we share what we have with a neighbor". I was mesmerized. I remembered what my late father used to tell me- "Share your blessing with those who need it." The girl saw the goodness and kindness of her grandparents. I told her how lucky she is to have them as her grandparents and it's up to her and her cousins to continue that legacy- being good people. I hope that parents and grandparents all over the world would instill good value to their children and grandchildren through their example and not just through words.

G.C. UANAN
30 October 2006

The Devil's "that's all" is not all at all

2006-08-14T20:27:00.000+02:00

After an impromptu get together with other Filipino priests at the Todai Japanese Restaurant in Manhattan last week, we went to the AMC movie house along 42nd Street. There were 20 movies in the offing. Three of us settled for “The Devil Wears Prada”. I was intrigued by the title (I didn’t read the novel and didn’t know that there is a novel with same title). It was literally about fashion as "Prada" denotes. The Movie revolves around the character of a fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Merry Streep) and her naive (at least in the beginning) secretary Andy (Anne Hathaway). The office staff were like models themselves with elegant outfit and “skinny bodies”. They would tremble and panic as soon as Miranda arrives the at the office. Miranda acts like “God” (or rather the Devil) as her wish is her staff’s command. Andy on the other hand was a simple journalism graduate who thought that she will be able to maximize her journalistic skills in the Fashion Magazine. Unfortunately, her work was confined into buying meals and coffee for her boss as well as answering the phone. In spite of her seemingly naiveté’s to fashion, she strived to be efficient and eventually became fashion savvy.

Miranda has the penchant of saying “that’s all” without saying the details of what she wants to convey or done. That left Andy puzzled and terrified at first but it helped her strive to become efficient. Miranda’s “that’s all” symbolizes power, elegance and wealth. Andy was being gradually pulled into same trend of thought as her boyfriend Nate (Adrian Granier) says it all “you want to defeat her but you became like her (Miranda)”. But towards the end, it came into Andy’s senses that Miranda doesn’t care about people’s feelings. She doesn’t care if her actuations hurt others so long as she preserves the status of power, elegance and wealth at any cost. Andy realized that becoming like Miranda is becoming like a Devil dressed in Prada, Valentino, Versace, etc. It came into her senses that Miranda doesn’t care about other people’s lives. Thus, her “that’s all is not all at all. Her “that’s all” is limited to her everything. Her “that’s all” doesn’t include others. Her "that’s all" is egoistic rather than altruistic. Miranda knows this but she doesn’t mind so long as she is on top. Andy realizes this and made the right decision- there is more to life than power, elegance and wealth. Many people are like Miranda. Many people are like Andy, as well. The world has gone bad because of people like Miranda. Thus, we need more Andys. We must always bear in mind that a selfish all is not all at all.

If you can't seem to understand what I mean, just watch the movie.:)

G.C. UANAN
14 August 2006

Longing for Peace

2006-08-01T01:27:00.000+02:00

What is happening to our world? There seems to be no end in war. People’s lives are set aside. Innocent non-combatants are killed helplessly. The warring sides seem to disregard the importance of life. In the midst of this, I wonder if a lasting peace is still possible. Yesterday, I had a conversation with an elderly Church-goer. He said that peace can still be attained if people focus on it. As I ponder on the wisdom of what he said, I realize that he is right. When the war between Hezbollah and Israel broke out two weeks ago, leaders of the most powerful nations were quick to point fingers on culprits. Not so many clamored for peaceful resolution. The immediate focus is punishment and retribution, not peace.

Does peace have a chance to reign in such situation? Certainly! There can be peace if both sides stop putting the blame on each other. There can be peace if the Lebanese Prime Minister will not allow Hezbollah to hold him and his government by the neck and order the Lebanese army with the help of UN to disarm Hezbollah. There can be peace if the United Nation leaders would stand firm and implement its resolution calling for the disarming of militias like Hezbollah in Lebanon.

DEAR GOD, please let there be PEACE.

G.C. UANAN
01 August 2006

OPPPSS HE DIT IT AGAIN!!!

2006-07-20T01:41:00.000+02:00

Bishop Tobias admitted to have coddled the Magdalo soldiers who were fugitives from justice. No matter what his justifications are, he coddled FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE. What a shame! This Bishop cannot, in any way, justify such blunder or imprudent judgment. An Estrada scion quickly came to his aid saying that there is nothing wrong with what Tobias did because Chavit Singson was also coddled by the late Cardinal Sin at the height of his expose on jueteng. Holy Bananas! The Estrada scion may have forgotten or is simply naive of the fact that the Magdalo are fugitives while Chavit Singson was not.

It must be stressed that the Magdalo soldiers are on trial for the failed Oakwood Mutiny in 2003 which may have pushed back the Philippine economy to about 3 years backwards. They should not be confused with the group of Col. Ariel Querubin, Gen. Danny Lim and the others who attempted a "withdrawal of support” last February. By escaping, the Magdalo soldiers became fugitives from justice at the time when Bishop Tobias gave them sanctuary and brought them to different safe houses. In doing so, he may have unwittingly accepted violence as a means to overthrow the government as the MAGDALO espouses such means.

Bishop Tobias very well personifies the quintessential “partisan prelate”. Yes he did it again. The Bishop who said sorry “on behalf of the Church” to ERAP last April, did it again. With the rate he is going, he will do it again and again and again.

G.C. UANAN
20 July 2006

Ministry in the USA

2006-07-18T17:32:00.000+02:00

We, Filipino Priests studying in Rome and residing at the Pontificio Collegio FIllipino, go for Ministry in the parishes of the Archidiocese of Newark in New Jersey during summer months of the year. This is my third year of summer ministry at the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. I arrived last June 29. I will serve here till the end of October.

On my first summer on this parish, a lot of impressions about the American culture (seen in the movies) were proven wrong. Before going to the US, I thought that American Catholics are free spirited liberals and would not give much heart on that which pertains to faith. Such wrong notion changed as soon is I got to know most of the parishioners attending the daily masses. It surprised me to see more Americans going to daily masses than in the Philippines (at least in my Diocese). But of course there are more people in Sunday masses in the Philippines.

In this parish, I have the privilege of working with Most Rev. John W. Flesey, DD (the Pastor and District Bishop for North Bergen County) and Rev. Michael Donovan (the assistant pastor).

Franklin Lakes is a high-end residential area. There are about 10 Filipino families here. But there are Filipino parishioners who come from nearby cities such as Glen Rock, N. Haledon and Wayne.

G.C. UANAN
18 July 2006

Moving On

2006-07-10T16:02:00.000+02:00

The past month was both physically and emotionally exhausting to me. Physically, I had to go home to the Philippines for a minor surgery on my toe. Emotionally, I was depressed because of the brutal death of Mayor Jojo Albano (see previous blog). My toe has healed, but the emotional pain of losing a cherished friend and relative lingers on. I had sleepless nights pondering the happy moments I have spent with him and remembering his kindness and affection. I cope up with it by offering my daily masses for his eternal repose. I also pray that the mastermind and the assassins will be guilt ridden and surrender soon. My only regret is that I am not in the Philippines to personally sympathize with the bereaved family.

I am confident that God's justice will soon prevail. On my part, it is now time for me to move on. It is now time to go on with life and deal with its intricacies.

I hope that the bereaved family will find peace and hope in the Lord.

G.C. UANAN
10 July 2006

MAYOR DELFINITO "JOJO" ALBANO: MAN OF THE MASSES BRUTALLY MURDERED BY COWARDS

2006-07-06T17:43:00.000+02:00

It pained me to hear about the gruesome murder of Mayor Jojo Albano a day after I arrived from the Philippines. I was shocked in reading my mom's text message informing me of the mayor's ambush on that fateful night. I did not believe it at first. Not until I opened my laptop, searched the web and found out that the sad news was true. When his remains were brought back to Ilagan, I cried and sobbed no end at the sight of the thousands of people along the highway from Tuguegarao Airport to Ilagan who showered flowers at his casket (I watched through 24 Oras on inq7.net). Such is a manifestation of the Albano legacy in public service started by Lolo Delfin Albano (Congressman of the Lone District of Isabela in the 50's through the early 60's) continued by Tito Rudy, Kuya Rodito, Ate Millet, Kuya Tonypet (who, although not in public office, shares his blessings to those in need) and Uncle Jojo.

Before I first met Uncle Jojo, I heard from relatives that he looked like Kuya Rodito, his nephew (Congressman of the 1st District of Isabela). I also heard that he's got the charisma and kindness of Lolo Delfin (his father). I met him for the first time when I was already a priest in 1998. He was, at that time, the one incharge of the Ilagan campaign of Kuya Rodito for congress. I observed that he was really a man of the masses as people from all walks of life love him.

When he became the Mayor of Ilagan in 2001, the Town was transformed into one of the cleanest municipalities in the Philippines. I remember seeing him lead the street cleaners as early as 5:30 am while I was going to the sports center for my daily brisk walk. As the Director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Ilagan, I have witnessed his love and concern for the poor and the oppressed. He lived a simple life. He is the type of man who will give his last centavo to those in need. He uses cheaper "subic" second hand vehicles rather than buy brand new expensive vehicles like those used by other politicians. His political rivals who never got even a third of the number of his votes concocted lots of issues against him but they never had the balls to bring him to court for such malicious allegations.

More than relatives, we became the best of friends. He would always seek my advices on things that pertain to social justice. I felt flattered having been always consulted by such a great man. When I left for my doctoral studies in Rome, he continued to serve the poor and the oppressed. He is not the perfect politician but he can very well be the best mayor Isabela ever had.

He was brutally murdered. He was alone, unarmed and unable to defend himself. Only cowards would do such thing! I join his family, friends and constituents in demanding justice!

He was buried this morning in Ilagan, Isabela (I was informed that thousands came to bid their last farewell to him).

Goodbye My Dear Uncle, My Dear Friend, Man of the Masses. With God on your side, justice will prevail!!!

G.C. UANAN
06 July 2006

Celebration of Life

2006-05-26T07:02:00.000+02:00

To celebrate one�s day of birth is to celebrate life itself. It is a great event. It is a momentous occasion. It is a time of joy and thanksgiving. However, there is a need to look back at those years that have passed to be able to traverse the road of the future. I was born 36 years ago yesterday.

Looking back at those years, I experienced failures and successes, defeats and victories, triumphs and pains, happiness and sadness. There were moments of motivation and there were moments of humiliation. There were challenges solved but there were more left unsolved. Amidst these contrasting experiences I can only thank the Lord for the gift of life. These contrasting experiences have sculptured my personhood. There constantly emerged a new person each year.

I do not claim perfection for it belongs to the one from whom I received the gift of life. Neither do I claim fulfillment for it remains to be seen. But one thing I can be proud of is that I constantly try to live my life to its fullest. Endowed with the gift of vocation, my being was given a new dimension- my life became a life I can no longer claim to the confines of the self. There emerged a conviction for the service of others.

To my brother priests at the PCF, thanks for the greetings and for gracing the "canto" party last night. To my friends and relatives, thanks for the presents and greetings too.

G.C. UANAN
26 May 2006

ERAP ADMITS SIGNING AS JOSE VELARDE

2006-05-24T22:03:00.000+02:00

If memory serves me right, the allegation that the then President Joseph Ejercito Estrada signed as Jose Velarde on an Equitable-PCI Bank account was one of the things that were vehemently denied and defended by his phalanx of defense lawyer�s during his impeachment trial in late 2000 and early 2001. Then Rep.Joker Arroyo even used a 500 peso bill to illustrate the similarity between Erap's signature and the one who signed the Jose Velarde account. Today, in his testimony at the Sandigan Bayan, Erap admitted that he signed as Jose Velarde . I will reserve my comments for the future lest I may be cited in contempt for discussing something that is already sub judice. I just want to remind my readers that the Jose Velarde account is one of the things that triggered EDSA DOS.

G.C. UANAN
24 May 2006

The Da Vinci Code "Ho-hum" Movie

2006-05-22T23:17:00.000+02:00

I watched the Da Vinci Code movie with the thought that I will be better prepared to to answer the questions of those who are intrigued by it. The movie turned out to be "ho-hum" two and a half-hour long. I was amused at how the Opus Dei "Monk" was portrayed. He is dressed like a Franciscan (the Franciscans must be laughing no end). It is absurd! There is no such thing as an Opus Dei "Monk" and neither is there a self flagellation being done by the members of the prelature to atone for sins committed. How Dan Brown’s characters- Langdon and Teabing were so convinced about the Christ and Mary Magdalene relationship without any credible historical evidence is despicable. Even as Dan Brown claims to have based his allusion to the purported wedding of Christ to Mary Magdalene in the apocryphal “gospels” of Philip and Mary Magdalene, there is nothing in such writings that refer to the wedding theory. I do not think the film will have that faith-shaking effect anticipated by the modern day Judases who sell Jesus once more (this time for millions of dollars) to publishers and film-makers and unassuming readers with the hope of misguiding them as Fr. Cantalamesa (the Papal Preacher) said in his homily on Good Friday.

My impression on the movie? It is a PURE FICTION which lacks the convincing power of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST which is based on the GOSPELS--- our real source of the TRUTH. But even if it is merely a fiction the novel/movie should be subject to our critical judgement. What if it were a case of a fiction depicting Hitler as a Saint? We cannot just take it sitting down and be lame duck Christians. The Opus Dei should file a defamatory case against the author, publishers and producers of the novel/movie. I think they have a strong case because they were portrayed wrongly and maliciously. For our part, rather than call for the banning or boycott of the movie or go on a book-burning spree (which will make bigots out of us), we have to take it as an opportunity to educate our people on the Divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Again I reiterate that the following online articles should be read especially by those who have read the novel or watched the movie:

http://www.catholic.com/library/cracking_da_vinci_code.asp

www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2006/dvh_excerpts1_jan06.asp

G.C. UANAN
22 May 2006

Year of Social Concerns

2006-05-13T12:15:00.000+02:00

The declaration of the CBCP for a Year of Social Concerns in the Philippines is well-timed as the country is presently plunged in a political turmoil stemming up from a dubious presidential mandate that has been the bone of contention and the cause of disunity among our political leaders for almost a year. It is my ardent hope that the Social Concern catechesis would deal with the very issue of why the Catholic Church sets foot into the domain of politics. Explanations should be made in words that are palatable to the “masa” who comprise majority of our people. There were previous publications by CBCP such as the “Pastoral Exhortation of Philippine Politics” (1997) and the “Catechism on the Church and Politics” (1998), but they were too highly-worded for the masa and were not widely circulated to reach the grassroots.

The issue on the Church’s involvement in politics has been debated upon and rehashed for ages. Those who have been admonished by the Church would cry out that it is an intrusion, a violation of the separation of Church and State. On the other hand, for those who seem to have benefited from the Church’s pronouncements, the Church has the right to deal with the morality of politics.

Aside from declarations and exhortations, the Bishops must also put their acts together. It is disgusting to note that there were instances (quite a lot) wherein the CBCP issues its Pastoral Statement on a certain socio-political issue and on the very next day there are a handful of bishops who would tend to speak or do things contrary to such pronouncements. Such actuations send confusing signals to the laity. Dissenting opinions by individual bishops should be confined to their plenary assembly and not addressed through what seems to be self-aggrandizement through the media.

G.C. UANAN
13 May 2006

OF SPOON AND FORK

2006-05-08T00:03:00.000+02:00

“Mommy, I don't want to eat anymore. My teacher is telling me that eating with a spoon and fork is yucky and disgusting.” These were the words of seven year old Luc Cagadoc to her mother. From what I have read from an article from the The Chronicle online ( http://www.westislandchronicle.com/pages/article.php?noArticle=6063 ), Luc is transferred by his school's lunch monitor to a table isolated from other kids whenever he is “caught” eating with spoon and fork. When the mother confronted the lunch monitor and complained to the principal. She was shocked to hear the principal’s reply: “Madame, you are in Canada. Here in Canada you should eat the way Canadians eat.” And when she asked about the punishment of isolating Luc in a table, the principal remarked: “If your son eats like a pig he has to go to another table because this is the way we do it and how we’re going to do it every time.”

Is there anything wrong with using both fork and spoon? When I was a kid, I was taught by my mother how to properly use spoon and fork. When I entered the seminary, I learned the more gracious way of using both utensils through our “social graces” seminar. Using fork and spoon in eating is a cultural mores just like the use of chopsticks in other Asian countries. Saying that such manner of eating is wrong is like saying that our culture is wrong. How much more if they see us Filipinos eat “kamayan” style? I love to eat with my bare hands especially when sumptuous native meal is served (that would be tuyo, daing or salted egg with kamatis). Does that make me a pig or lesser human? Certainly not!

Four years ago, Bishop Eijk of the Diocese of Groningen, Netherlands (communio partner of our diocese) paid a visit to our diocese. Among the many affairs he attended was the Diocesan Youth Day. We ate “kamayan” style as it was a barrio-fiesta type of celebration. The couple who were part of Bishop Eijk’s entourage were betting whether or not he would use his hands to eat as it was anathema to do so in Netherlands. They were surpirsed when he began to wash his hands and he ate with his bare hands. I admired him for his flexibility and respect to a tradition. He did not feel degraded to eat with his hands and more so, he did not hesitate to do what was anathema in his homeland. More so, during meals at the Bishop’s Residence, he ate with both spoon and fork.

Punishing Luc for using spoon and fork is wrong. Saying that his manner of eating is disgusting is worst. It is plain discrimination under the guise of instilling table etiquette into Luc. I pity the child because the sad experience seems to have traumatized him.

Does using spoon and fork turn us into lower beings and turn the Canadians who eat with fork and knife into higher beings? NO!!!!

I hope that this is just an isolated case. Otherwise, some Canadians are bigots and racists.

G.C. UANAN
8 May 2006

FOR HOW LONG CAN SHE HOLD ON?

2006-05-03T22:57:00.000+02:00

Since June 2005, the Philippines was plunged into a quagmire of political bickering and debacle. I have written in a previous blog that in the end it is the common Pinoy that will suffer while politicians would just shrug it off and go abroad if the situation gets bad or worst if revolution erupts. Such situation would not have much effect to politicians who can still buy the basic necessities even if the prices would have doubled because of the political tension. When there is a change in leadership, it would be easy for politicians to just throw their support to the new leader if ever the president resigns and there will be status quo of the benefits they enjoy at the expense of the people. But the poor....God help us, our politicians are feeding us to the dogs!

Almost a year from thence, the bickering continues. After the failed impeachment and a hodgepodge of expose' and hearings-in-aid-of-legislation and rallies that failed to attract multitudes, the opposition remained divided and unable to gather much footing from the masses and the decisive middle class. More so, they seemed to be busy only with criticism and fault-finding. Military adventurists tried but failed to “withdraw” their support. GMA seems to have an answer to everything thrown at her. I see the hands of a master political operator in everything that GMA used: the NO-EL scenario which appeared attractive to self-serving politicians, the EO 464, the CPR, the Proclamation 1017 and the much ballyhooed People’s Initiative for charter change. These schemes were designed to divert attention from the real issue of whether or not GMA cheated in the 2004 elections. There is a tell-tale sign on all of these schemes- there are gray areas on their constitutionality. But GMA’s political operator’s motto seemed to be that “these schemes are constitutional unless proven otherwise”. They put the burden on those who challenge the constitutionality of such schemes. GMA has succeeded in using such diversionary schemes pending the resolution of their constitutionality. The Supreme Court have so far decided against EO 464 and CPR and upheld Proclamation 1017 with certain caution on abuses. But by then, they have already served their purpose- to intimidate and to temporarily divert attention. The question is: How far can she sustain? I do not think such schemes have totally removed the cloud of doubt about her victory. Her defiant stance will only further plunge our beloved country into uncertainty as impeachment season begins come July. The semblance of economic recovery highlighted by the stronger peso which they have projected is superficial for it is based from the peak months of remittances from OFWs.

I must admit that in the past 10 months I have been against GMA stepping down because I dreaded the return of ERAP (as advocated by his sons and blind supporters). Nevertheless, after observing the ill-effects of GMA's obscure mandate, I am now one with those who clamor for SNAP ELECTION. To those who think that there are no visible alternative from among the opposition I say: Does the next president need to be an oppositionist? Have they ever considered the admirable meekness of a Magsaysay or the economics savvy of a Roxas? Does it have to be a Ping, an Erap or even a Susan? Besides, GMA can still run and if she really have the support of the majority then she can have a fresh mandate.

G. C. UANAN
3 May 2006

The Gospel of Judas: Is it really faith-shaking?

2006-04-23T18:50:00.000+02:00

The Gospel of Judas was hyped by the media (those with the hidden agenda of undermining the truths of our Catholic Faith) as something that would shake the faith of its readers specifically on the passion and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The showing of the documentary on the said gospel over the National Geographic Channel was obviously deliberately timed to coincide with the Catholic Church's Palm Sunday celebration to add more sense of relativity. A brother priest sent me a copy of the said Gospel of Judas. It has seven pages on PDF format. I read it and found nothing faith-shaking.

The said gospel is believed to have been written by the Gnostics which is described by the Catholic Encyclopedia as those who believe in the "doctrine of salvation by knowledge. This definition, based on the etymology of the word (gnosis "knowledge", gnostikos, "good at knowing"), is correct as far as it goes, but it gives only one, though perhaps the predominant, characteristic of Gnostic systems of thought. Whereas Judaism and Christianity, and almost all pagan systems, hold that the soul attains its proper end by obedience of mind and will to the Supreme Power, i.e. by faith and works, it is markedly peculiar to Gnosticism that it places the salvation of the soul merely in the possession of a quasi-intuitive knowledge of the mysteries of the universe and of magic formulae indicative of that knowledge. Gnostics regard themselves as "people who knew", and their knowledge at once constituted them a superior class of beings, whose present and future status was essentially different from that of those who, for whatever reason, did not know."

Gnosticism is a heresy. Projecting the Gospel of Judas as historically true is tantamount to reviving a doctrine of the Gnostic heresy. Those who brought it up have an agenda. They point out that the Gnostic Gospels were not included in the Canonical Books that would comprise the Bible because mainstream Crhistianity wanted to silence Gnosticism. My sacred scriptures professor in UST, Fr. Angel Aparicio, OP contends in an interview that "the Gospel of Judas and other Gnostic writings such as the supposed Gospel of Mary Magdalene were excluded from the final canon of the New Testament not because the Catholic Church was trying to silence other Christian groups, but because their authenticity and fidelity to the teachings of Christ were suspect right from the start." (cf. http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=72478 ).

The peddlers of the Gospel of Judas try to project that Christ has mandated his own betrayal and that Judas facilitated the salvation of the world by his act of betrayal. One passage quotes Jesus telling Judas, "For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me." I only have one argument against such claim that Judas merely obeyed our Lord Jesus Christ in betraying Him: If that was the case, why did he feel the guilt and committed suicide???

The Gospel of Judas failed its peddlers for it did not snowball faith-shaking doubt from believers. The text itself is incomplete, there were missing lines as the manuscript has deteriorated.

I conclude by quoting James Martin in his article "Betrayal or devotion?: No revelations in Gospel of Judas": "The Gospel of Judas will continue to be fodder for television shows, magazine covers and lunchtime conversations. But the answer to the question raised every Good Friday remains the same. Why did Judas do it? Because Judas, like many of us, wanted to make God in his own image- rather than the other way round." (cf. The international Herald Tribune, April 12, 2006, p. 8 )

G. C. UANAN
23 April 2006

ON THE DA VINCI CODE

2006-04-22T00:25:00.000+02:00

Dear Friends,

The Da Vince Code movie will be shown next month. Some people tend to take it as a true story rather than a mere fiction. I can give you some files that I have compiled which may be of help in enlightening them on the TRUTH. If you would like to be furnished with those files, feel free to email me on this email address: grevy_05@yahoo.com. You can also access some writings that would prove that the Da Vinci Code is a HOAX on these websites:

http://www.catholic.com/library/cracking_da_vinci_code.asp

www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2006/dvh_excerpts1_jan06.asp

Please send them to your friends. Let us help those being deceived realize that a HALF truth is a WHOLE LIE!

G. C. UANAN
22 April 2006

ON BISHOP TOBIAS' APOLOGY TO ERAP

2006-04-21T18:02:00.000+02:00

I was shocked, having watched over the GMA-7's "24 ORAS" Bishop Tobias' apology to ERAP in his Homily on the Eucharistic celebration for ERAP'S birthday. I first read the writing about it and when the news clip was not yet available online I ardently hoped it was just another misquotation by the seemingly sensationalist Philippine media. But when I watched the clip, I was dismayed to hear these words from the Bishop of Novaliches to Erap: "I hope you can forgive the Catholic Church for what happened to you." He reaffirmed such stance by saying on an interview by a reporter of GMA-7 saying, "Nag apologize ako kay former President dahil isang sama ng kanyang loob ay nag-umpisa siya sa politika sa pagsusundot ng simbahan at in the end, ang simbahan din at ito ay ang mga katoliko lalong lalo na ang mga Obispo ang nakapaalis sa kanya." The Bishop should not have apologized on behalf of the entire Catholic Church for I am sure his thoughts are not shared by majority of the Catholic Church. Much more, he could not apologize on behalf of the other Bishops, most of whom issued their own pastoral statements calling for ERAP'S resignation in 2000. The most that he could have said is to ask ERAP'S forgiveness for his "personal participation" in EDSA 2. The Catholic Church Hierarchy (or should i say overwhelming majority of it) went against ERAP after feeling the pulse of the masses. But here is a Bishop apologizing on behalf of the multitudes of Catholics who joined EDSA 2. That is a travesty!!!! I was at EDSA 2 and I do not feel the need to apologize to ERAP. Bishop Tobias cannot apologize for me! Neither can he apologize for the multitudes of Catholics- religious and laity alike who called for ERAP'S resignation.

G. C. UANAN
21 April 2006

THE DEATH OF POPE JOHN PAUL II AND ELECTION OF POPE BENEDICT XVI: REVISITING MY DIARY ENTRIES

2006-04-21T15:51:00.000+02:00

It has been a year since the death of Pope John Paul the Great and the Election of Pope Benedict the XVI. I would like to share my diary entries on those historical events to my readers especially to my relatives and friends :

THE DEATH OF JOHN PAUL THE GREAT

April 1, 2005
> 8:00 PM- I joined the Rosary vigil for the dying Pope John Paul II at St. Peter's Square

April 2, 2005
> 9:00 PM- I, together with Fr. Rey Adalid, OP, Fr. Arlou Buslon and Fr. Edison Escario, joined the rosary vigil for Pope John Paul II at St. Peter's Square . At around 10:03 PM, it was announced that Pope John Paul II died at 9:37 PM (at that moment, we were singing the litany of the saints). Apparently the last words uttered by the late pope were: "I have looked for you. Now you have come to me. And I thank you."

April 4, 2005
>11:00 AM- The day allotted for the religious to view the remains of Pope John Paul II. Together with Fr. Robbie Gaa and Fr. Jimel Valera, I paid homage to the remains of Pope John Paul II at the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. It took us three hours before seeing him.
>5:00 PM- I was at the St. Peter's square and witnessed the transfer of the remains of Pope John Paul II to the Basilica

April 6, 2005
>10-Hour Line to see the remains of Pope John Paul II: I decided to see once more the remains of Pope John Paul II. This time, I have to experience waiting in line for 10- hours even though we priests could have entered through the back door by showing our Vicariate of Rome Celebret to the Swiss Guards. With me were Fr. Raul Dael, Fr. Jess Layug, Fr. Edison Escario, Fr. Dodong Billones, Sr. Eliza, Sr. Daisy and Sr. Lerma. We joined the line along Borgo Pio at 4:40 AM and we were able to enter the Basilica at 2:30 PM. I must admit that i wanted to quit when we seem to be moving only a few meters per hour. I was, however, inspired at the sight of a Polish Bishop who decided to join the Polish Pilgrims with him, although he could easily get inside the Basilica because bishop's and priests were allowed to enter through the back door. I don't have any regrets though. When we were about to enter St. Peter's Square about 8 and a half hours later, Bombo Radyo Philippines called me through my cellular phone and i became an instant reporter for them- describing the sea of humanity who came to say thanks to a great man who inspired the whole world. I learned from tv news in the evening that there were 1.5 million people on that day.

April 7, 2005
>9:00 AM- Requiem Mass for Pope John Paul II at the Basilica. Among the PCF priests with me were Fr. Jimel Valera, Fr. Freddie Billanes, Fr. Jojo Buenafe and Fr. Edison Escario. Once more, we were able to pay homage to the remains of Pope John Paul II.
>7:30 PM- Mass of Filipinos for Pope John Paul II at the Basilica of Mary Major. The main celebrant was Archbishop Capalla. He was joined by Archbishop Paciano Aniceto and Auxiliary Bishop Cortez of Manila. Cardinal Bernard Law welcomed President GMA and other delegates.

April 8, 2005
>10:00 AM- Funeral of Pope John Paul II. We left PCF at 4:00 AM. We were able to enter St. Peter's Square at 7:30 AM. We wore black cassock with surplice and red stole. The main celebrant and homilist was the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. His homily was applauded for more than 30 times. He ended his homily with these words: "None of us can ever forget how in that last Easter Sunday of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his blessing urbi et orbi. We can be sure that our beloved Pope is standing today at the window of the Father's house, that he sees us and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and who will guide you now to the eternal glory of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen." After the Mass, when the coffin of John Paul the Great was raised facing the crowd, two giant streamers were unfurled bearing the inscription "SANTO SUBITO" (Saint Immediately). We were all in tears as the Sedieri Petri carrying the coffin entered the Basilica.

April 12, 2005
>Sede Vacante 2005 Stamps were made available

April 13, 2005
>I was able to buy the three sets (10 each) of the Sede Vacante 2005 Stamps and have them marked at the Vatican Post Office.

CONCLAVE 2005

April 16, 2005
>The PCF community had a picture taking session with His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, the lone Filipino cardinal to participate in the 2005 conclave

April 18, 2005
> First Day of Conclave 2005- I went to St. Peter's Square together with Fr. Edison, Fr. Giovanni, Sr. Eliza and Sr. Estella at around 4:00 PM. We watched the solemn entrance and beginning of the Conclave at the video walls of the square. There was only one balloting- black smoke came out of the chimney over the Sistine Chapel at 8:03 PM

April 19, 2005
>Second Day of Conclave 2005- We went to the St. Peter's Square at 9:30 AM. We brought Philippine flags and Vatican flags. The flags attracted the media- they asked us from which country we came from and they interviewed us about our views on the conclave and the papacy. The result of the first balloting (2nd overall) was a black smoke at 11:51 AM. Then shortly at 12:01, the result of the second balloting (3rd overall) was also black smoke.
>Habemus Papam- A group of Filipinos joined us because they saw us waving two big Philippine Flags in the afternoon. Then at around 5:49 PM, white smoke came out of the chimney over the Sistine chapel. And shortly at 6:05 PM the bells of St. Peter's Basilica began ringing, thereby confirming that a new pope has been elected. Everybody became ecstatic, it was a very festive atmosphere. At 6:43 PM Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, the senior cardinal-deacon (Proto-deacon) came out to the center balcony of the basilica announcing these words: "Annuntio Vobis Gaudium Magnum, Habemus Papam! Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Iosephum Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Ratzinger qui sibi nomen imposuit Benedictum XVI." Then, the people shouted Ratzinger! Ratzinger! then Benedetto! Benedetto! With that I became all the more ecstatic and jubilant for I somehow predicted that the new Pope would be Ratzinger and his name will be Benedict! I thought that if there is somebody who could assure continuity of Pope John Paul II's legacy, it would be Ratzinger. At 6:48 PM, Pope benedict XVI, preceded by the Cross appeared at the center balcony waving at the crowds, making the joined-hands clasped thanks gesture as well as the open hands gesture and then delivered his first ever Urbi et Orbi (to the city and to the world) address as follows:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
"After the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord. The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with inadequate instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.
Let us move forward in the joy of the Risen Lord, confident of his unfailing help. The Lord will help us and Mary, his Most Holy Mother, will be on our side. Thank you."

I brought out the 12 rosaries I just bought and waved them to be blessed when the new pope gave us his blessing. We were also interviewed by Vicky Morales of GMA-7 when the crowd began to disperse.

April 24, 2005
>Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry of Pope Benedict XVI, 10:00 AM at St. Peter's Basilica. I was fortunate to be one of those who distributed Holy Communion.