It Ain't Rocket Science

Just a few days ago, I heard someone defend some bishops regarding their statement that impeachment proceedings should be stopped.

He hinted that the bishops knew more than the ordinary man on the street – whether that ordinary man was knowledgeable in legal proceedings, or a professional or a political analyst or what not.

From his words, it seemed that being ordained to a high office in the Church hierarchy gives one the privilege of perfect wisdom above everyone else.

I must admit, I am not one of the ordained, and I do not claim to be gifted with Solomonic wisdom.  But, in my humble knowledge and experience in systems and methodologies, information technology and the engineering sciences, I have learned time and time again, that in order to know the truth about something such as proving a hypothesis, you have to complete the process of learning about it, otherwise, ending a process abruptly would not get you near to the truth, but will leave all doubts hanging.

The impeachment proceeding is a process.  Now it ain’t rocket science to know that like any process, the impeachment has a beginning that should end normally.

Only dim–witted morons would disagree. 

Commentary on Hypocrisy

I hate it when I hear homilies laced with anti–government/anti–Pnoy/’all politicians are sinners’ spiels.  Instead of leaving me inspired throughout the day, I am just downright angry about it.  What in hell does an anti–government spiel have to do with my spiritual life anyway? Does it HELP me understand the two greatest commandments Jesus mentioned?  My foot!

At one time, the Gospel was about the hypocrisy of the scribes and the pharisees.  Guess what?  The homily was directed towards politicians being hypocrites!  Well, why not look into our own backyard and admit, for once, that the holy ones of the Church, the Bishops are not far behind?

Just recently, two bishops severly criticized a cabinet secretary for surfing through  bootleg DVDs, claiming it to be immoral.  Really?  All of us are guilty of purchasing bootleg items – DVDs included.  We just shrug our shoulders when a sister or parent buys fake bags or clothes from Divisoria.  We enjoy the huge savings whenever we get a fake Louie Vuitton that matches the real thing.  We are all in this.  No one can claim innocence.

I dare those goody-goody two shoes Church peopl who claim they are against piracy. I dare those untouchable bishops to have the workstations of their administration personnel be checked for any bootleg Microsoft Windows/Office or pirated video games installed.  I dare, too, that we look into the community rooms of religious houses to check for fake DVD copies of the latest movies.

Pare–pareho lang tayo.  Huwag na tayo magmalinis!  Tupperware!  Mga Orocan mukha nyo! 

Dealing with Hyenas

Last year, on my way to an appointment in Makati, I decided to take a taxicab to reach my destination on time.  Upon boarding the cab, the driver instructed me to lock the door and, under any circumstance, NOT open my windows – not even to a beggar. You see, the day before that, his fellow driver fell victim of the ‘children of the dew’ (aka batang hamog). He related to me how the poor fellow wanted to give a little street urchin a few coins from his pocket, when his hand was grabbed from the outside.  Immediately after that, seemingly out of nowhere, like a pack of hyenas, more delinquent youths, about the ages of ten to twelve, charged towards him, pushing the car window down and opening the door.  The driver was mauled; his savings were gone.  The little devils, having gotten their loot, ran off and disappeared into the nearby alley.  The money they took, meant that the family would have to scrimp on their meals the following day. Days before, my brother related to me two similar incidents he personally witnessed, one at EDSA Guadalupe and another along Ortigas Avenue.  The Ortigas incident involved was worse; the victim this time was a woman. My brother was driving along Ortigas when a similar bunch of drug–crazed hyenas stormed a woman driver.  They managed to open the car door, and started MAULING the woman.  Had it not been for the fellow motorists, the woman would have been hospitalized black and blue – aside from a vandalized car and stolen belongings.  The incidents started with the act of giving alms. Going back to the taxi cab driver, he then told me that he and his fellow drivers now carry with them a crowbar kept within arm’s reach.  He then described to me in gruesome detail how they would put the law into their own hands, if the inevitable happens. On the Internet there advertised, is the use of the stun gun to address the batang hamog issue.  This is a long stick whose tip is equipped with two pincers wherein a considerable amount of electrical charge is emitted.  It stated that the object is to stun the ‘hyena’ on any part of the body.  Then once stunned, the pincers are aimed directly below the ‘hyena’s’ jaw, thus sending the electrical charge directly towards his brain.  This would cause severe muscular contractions and a painful death – and road–kill. I do not blame the victims if they resort to these ideas.  To be assaulted for being charitable is a traumatic experience.  It would certainly take great grace to go beyond one’s lust for revenge to forgive the critter. I am fortunate that I am not involved in such situations as I take the bus and only take the taxicab on special cases.  I, myself, have decided NOT to give alms to street children when I ride a taxicab.  That is my stand. Oh and yes, I have with me a pepper spray handy.

Enteng Kabisote and the Traditional Christmas Bashing

Now that Christmas Day has come and gone and that we are just savoring the remaining days of the season, allow me to give a nasty killjoy statement.

Christmas Day is the time when the most predictable things happen… the more fortunate ones get the usual hams, queso de bola and calendars… everybody seems to wear the best clothes… street urchins appear out of nowhere and haunt motorists for ‘money to buy food.’

And as trite and as predictable as the staple of the yearly MMFF offering, Enteng Kabisote, is the usual Christmas homily, where parishioners are given a healthy bashing of the ‘consumerist’, ‘commecialized’ Christmas.  Jolly Ol’ St. Nick is once again the condemned thief who stole Christmas, and that people should focus on the real meaning of the season, instead of gorging on the catered meal.

The funny thing is, the parishioners do not seem to notice much at all.  All they want is to get the Mass over with so they could spend the whole day partying.   Perhaps homilists have learned much the same as Vic Sotto had with the Enteng Kabisote plot – rehashing the same old thing year–in and year–out is practical in the long run.  Paskong–pasko, bakit pa mag–iisip ng iba, o di ba?

Ironically, most of us who are so good in the traditional consumerist Christmas bashing, are so eager to get our hands on the lechon, hamon, and everything served on the table.  Yup, count me in on that one.

But seriously, next year, I hope to spend Christmas differently.  I am planning to go on a spiritual retreat where Christmas Day would be spent in prayerful silence and solitude, away from the noise, revelry, lechon and hamon, Enteng Kabisote and the traditional consumerist Christmas bashing.

Dalaw ni GMA

Isang istorya ng DALAW ni GMA!!!

Lucifer: Hello GMA, malapit na ang pasko, napadalaw ako dahil ipinaaala-ala ko sayo na isasama na kita sa aking kaharian!!

GMA: Naku paano yan, hinde pa ako handa eh, marami pa akong gagawin

Lucifer: eh wala akong magagawa kasi numero uno ka sa aking listahan

GMA: Ganun? okay, bago mo ako isama ay halika muna at tayo ay magmiryenda

Lucifer: O, sige, tutal malapit na ang pasko ay pagbibigyan kita.

At nagmiryenda nga ang mag-amo. Nguni't di alam ni Lucifer na nilagyan ni GMA ng maraming sleeping pills ang pagkain ni Lucif at nakatulog ng mahimbing si Lucifer.  Sinamantala naman ni GMA ang pagkakataon at kinuha niya ang listahan ni Lucif, kaagad binura ang kanyang pangalan sa unahan at inilagay sa hulihan ng listahan. 

Maya-maya ay nagising na si Lucifer.

Lucifer: Hayyyy, nakatulog pala ako. GMA, nabatid ko na isa ka palang mabait (kuno) ay napag-isip-isip ko na ang uunahin kong kunin ay iyong nakatala sa hulihan ng aking listahan........!

A Good Example of Humility

Manila, Philippines – A Catholic Church prelate criticized President Benigno S. Aquino III for not appearing at the installation of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio ‘Chito’ G. Tagle yesterday. Lipa (Batangas) Archbishop Ramon Arguelles said the absence of Aquino showed his lack of respect for the Church.

‘Of all our Presidents, he is the only one who didn’t show respect for the Church,’ Arguelles said. ‘It’s very conspicuous, the absence of the President for the first time in the history of the Philippines,’ added Arguelles.

‘The President SHOULD have reset the date of the turnover rites for the new chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Lt. Gen. Jessie D. Dellosa if he really wants to attend the event.   This is an international event, the AFP can be reset tomorrow.  He is really not interested in attending,’ he said. (Leslie Ann G. Aquino, Tempo December 13, 2011)

Now that was a good example of humility on the part of our good bishop, don't you think? 

Ok, I was being sarcastic hehehehe!  So this speaks of the Church' powerful political position in our society.

Reaction to a Homily

Just this morning, I heard the most ridiculous homily so far.

Reflecting on a reading lifted from the Book of Maccabees, the preacher talked about his fear of the Church being persecuted because of – ad nauseaum – the RH Bill.  He even quoted a certain ‘Mr. Acosta’ a speaker in their recently–held retreat on that sickeningly worn–out subject matter, that Church people could even get jailed for their faith, once the bill turns into a law.

HELLO??!!!

As far as I remember, the Church, with its sheer arrogance and vast temporal powers, is a major political, I repeat, POLITICAL force in this country.  Wasn’t it largely responsible for throwing off Ferdinand Marcos from power?  Didn’t it have a hand in demonizing Joseph Estrada as a womanizer, gambler and cheat?  Who on earth was responsible in issuing veiled threats of excommunication on Noynoy Aquino?

The Church, in my vocabulary, has had a record of persecuting people throughout history.   Here in the Philippines alone, many were deported to Dapitan because of their differing views, and it was not just Jose Rizal.  In my home province of Malolos, Bulacan, at the latter part of te 19^th Century, several young women were persecuted by the local diocese because they defied the order of the friars not to study the Spanish language. 

Besides, if ever the persecution would happen, and that is as remote as putting the sun into a bucket of water, I would not be surprised if hoards of bishops, clerics and religious would be booking flights to countries abroad, similar to what the Arroyos did a few days back.  What with all the money stashed in their fat bank accounts.

I guess the preacher was watching so many sordid telenovelas that such a preposterous thought came to his mind.  Afraid of the Church' ghost perhaps? Maybe he needs to pray a lot for enlightenment.

So there.

PS.  The more I hear tirades against the RH Bill, the more I pray for it to be passed.  I hate the Church’ arrogance for power.