SHAME ON YOU...

Here is an interesting comment from one reader.  He makes a lot of sense.  Don't you agree?

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These bishops can't say anything sensible nowadays.

BISHOPS SAID, ‘RH BILL IS AN OPEN WAR AGAINST THE CHURCH’. YOU ARE SO NARROW-MINDED BISHOPS. THIS IS AN OPEN WAR AGAINST POVERTY, NOT AGAINST ANY INDIVIDUAL, ORGANIZATIONS OR ENTITIES.’

It looks like that your mind is blanketed with insecurities that every time the government comes up with sensible steps towards alleviating poverty, you think, it is a step against you. You can be compared to an insecure wife who has to question where her husband is going every time he steps out of the door.

You better study economics bishops before you say faster growth population translates to a booming economy. It depends on the situation and surely, your statement does not apply to the Philippine conditions at all at the present time.

The Philippines is a very small country with very large population, one of the highest in the world with very limited resources. We are a third world country, which relies on economic aid from other countries and the OFW. Our educational system is one of the worst in the world and the schools that provide satisfactory education are Catholic schools like the Ateneo, De la Salle, UST that impose fees far beyond the reach of the lowly Juan dela Cruz. If you, bishops, would try to lift your little finger alleviate the burden of high tuition fees so that students from the most impoverished areas could attend such schools, then I would support you. 

Go to squatter areas.  Go to the provinces.  Go to remotest barangays.  You will see NOTHING but numerous barefooted, half–naked to naked children playing in the streets, walloping in poverty. Is this what you want? To see nothing but poverty?

The present economic conditions need immediate and hard–line solutions.  Chief of them is to reduce the population growth that is projected to reach unmanageable proportions in few years to come. This is a long–term solution that has been studied and recommended by economists and experts long before Pnoy's administration came into being because of limited and dwindling resources.  And yet, here you are talking garbage, not offering any help to alleviate poverty.

You are becoming this nation's biggest problem, worse than corrupt politicians, the Abu Sayyaf and the NPA combined. Pnoy is doing the best he could to see a progressive country, but it is a pity that he has to hurdle the biggest obstacle to succeed – you, the bishops.

SHAME ON YOU BISHOPS!!! ANG KAKAPAL NINYO!!!....

Lady Gaga Concert in Manila

So, the Lady Gaga Concerts have come and gone.

All the noise generated against the concerts have fallen into silence.  Not quite unusual and expected.

Days before the concert began, many church groups spoke against the rocker.  Text messages called for her deportation.  Prayer rallies called for her damnation.  I even remember a rather outspoken bishop from down south calling Lady Gaga demon possessed, and even if given the opportunity to talk to her, would rather keep a distance, because, as he says he 'does not talk to demons.'  A modern-day pharisee indeed.

Personally,  I am not a fan of Lady Gaga and I do not actually know any of her tunes, except for 'Bad Romance' only because it has been used in production numbers on TV.

I, however, consider it 'pa-epal' for some church moralists to ask that she be 'kicked-out' and that reparation be done at parish churches to 'ask for God's mercy, that His wrath would not fall on us' due to the blasphemes the rocker made.  Please!  There are more blasphemous things being done everywhere, with or without Gaga.  Way back in the 80s, we had Madonna and Cyndi Lauper.  Did God destroy the world?  Hello!  I am now a in my mid-40s, feeling the effects of aging, but still alive. 

Ang mahirap eh, those hypocritical moralists so good in damning others as demons and seeing God in man's own image, yet they fail to see the scandal of sin that lies within themselves.

Pa-epal talaga.  

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........!