"The Living Rice: Filipino-American Daddy Blog on the Valuable Things: Faith, Family, and Country."
Hope the tagline explains it all.
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Introducing New Filipino Daddy Blog on the Important Things in a Pinoy's Life
"The Living Rice: Filipino-American Daddy Blog on the Valuable Things: Faith, Family, and Country."
Hope the tagline explains it all.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Why There's Still Hope for the Philippines
Senator Kiko Pangilinan posted a brilliant article on his 10 reasons why there is genuine hope for the Philippines. You should go to his site to read the full article.
He focuses on various qualities our country and the Filipinos possess that makes it favorable to bring prosperity back to our beloved nation. My favorite and what I think is more important is number 10. I really believe that enhancing the Pinoy's traditional family and Christian values should be strengthened to bring real and long-lasting change in the Philippines. Kung lahat ng Pinoy ay may pananaw at namumuhay ng maka-Diyos sa lahat ng aspeto ng buhay, malulutas natin ang karamihan ng ating mga problema sa bayan, dahil tayong rin namang mga Pinoy ang dahilan ng mga problemang ito.
Here's Sen. Pangilinan's 10 reason why there is genuine hope for the Philippines:
1) WE ARE LOCATED IN THE 'CENTER' OF EAST ASIA. We are strategically located at the heart of East Asia. North East Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, HK) and South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos) combined makes East Asia. Every major city in East Asia is 4 hours or less away from the Philippines by air transport. If ours were a real estate venture in a commercial area, ours is a location to die for. We can be the shipping and air transport hub of East Asia. We can be the top tourist destination of the region. We can be the cultural center of the region for performing arts.
2) WE ARE NO. 1 in AQUAMARINE RESOURCES WORLDWIDE. We have the most diverse aquamarine ecosystem in the entire world that if managed properly will feed not only our hungry people but will be a source of huge revenue coming from a world in dire need of aquamarine resources such as fish, seaweed and other similar products. The Seafood basket and aquamarine resource center of the world. We can be the aquamarine resource powerhouse of the world.
3) WE HAVE A HUGE TOURISM INDUSTRY POTENTIAL. Our people are by nature extremely friendly and hospitable. We are only doing/achieving some 3M tourist arrivals annually while our neighbors are doing four or five time more with 12 to 15 Million tourist visits annually. It has been said that other countries in the ASEAN are doing so much more with so little in terms of natural wonders and beautiful sites while we are doing so little with so much. With the right infrastructure such as highways and airports and seaports in place we can be the number one tourist destination in Asean if not Asia.
4) WE ARE NOW NO. 2 IN THE BPO INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE AND CAN BECOME NO.1. We are, I am told currently second to India in the Business Process Outsourcing Industry. I am told as well that this industry expects 30 percent growth this year despite the worldwide recession as foreign companies look aggressively to lowering costs of doing business and therefore look to business outsourcing.
5) WE ARE AN EXTREMELY CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC PEOPLE. We have been called the songbirds of Asia. Our reputation as performers is legendary throughout the world (although we have never been boastful about it). We can be the center of performing arts in Asia wherein millions would visit the country annually to marvel at our cultural performances and our artistic productions.
6) WE HAVE THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW GENERATION OF PROGRESSIVE AND RESULTS ORIENTED PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS. Since the restoration of democracy in 1986 and the passage of the Local Government code in 1991 (or some 20 years now), public officials have began to work with new resources (40 percent of national taxes are now plowed back to LGUs compared to less than 10 percent in 1986) made available by decentralization. Today a new generation of public sector leaders is emerging that is empowered, that is vision driven and results oriented. This explains why we have successful Local Government initiatives in Marikina, Makati, Naga City, Davao City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Calbayog City and General Santos City among others. Hence from a generation of public sector leaders that by and large was corrupt, lacking in vision, lacking in creativity and innovation, we now have the emergence of a new generation of public sector leaders with integrity, with proactive leadership and with a commitment to reform and genuine change. New governance models and templates that are solving age old problems in the field are being forged, being tempered as we speak. A new brand of political leadership is emerging focused on solving age old problems in governance. The old, failed methods utilized by the trapos will soon be crushed and defeated.
7) INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT IS ENHANCING OUR SENSE OF NATIONHOOD. We are fast becoming one nation, rather than a 'country' of many languages and many islands, now being connected by information communication technology. The ethno-linguistic barriers that used to keep us divided are being shattered by the interconnectivity of information technology. Today an entire generation of Filipinos fully understand and can connect with the Filipino language because of 2 decades of television news in Filipino (all TV news used to be English until 1986). The 3 elements of nationhood are common language, common territory and common economy. We are now becoming a nation because information technology is breaking the barriers that have prevented us from becoming united as a people. It is also now reconnecting some 10 Million Filipinos overseas to the motherland. We are becoming one nation and one people.
8) WE HAVE A RE EMERGING MIDDLE CLASS MINDSET. After over three decades of the OFW boom, we now have a new generation of citizens steeped with modern ideas coming from the highly successful host nations like Japan, Honh Kong, Singapore and the United Sates. Europe too has become host to hundreds of thousands of OWFs. The OFWs who have experienced life in these highly developed nations can now compare and contrast these experiences with the experiences in the motherland. In highly developed nations there is to a greater extent, a greater sense of accountability and a greater sense of justice and fair play.Our OFWs bring all that back home and having been enlightened by the experience will demand greater of their leaders back home. People are beginning to say enough is enough and are actually doing something about it.
9) WE ARE A YOUNG NATION. Close to 30 million of our 45 million voters are 18 to 35 years old. Very young. If harnessed effectively, these young voters can usher in the political and electoral change that we need to happen for genuine political and economic reforms to take place.
10) WE ARE A PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO LAUGH, WHO LOVE OUR FAMILIES. We are a resilient people. We can draw unimaginable strength and fortitude in times of difficulty in order to move ahead. We know how to survive despite so much pain and suffering. We know how to cope. We are willing to sacrifice so much of ourselves in order to provide for our family, our loved ones. This strength will not only bring us out of the mess we are in but will ensure that we are able to reach greater heights in our collective desire as a people to have a better life for those we truly care for, for those who mean the world to us. Our resilience in the long run will not only make us survive but will also ensure that we will triumph in the end.
Any thoughts?
He focuses on various qualities our country and the Filipinos possess that makes it favorable to bring prosperity back to our beloved nation. My favorite and what I think is more important is number 10. I really believe that enhancing the Pinoy's traditional family and Christian values should be strengthened to bring real and long-lasting change in the Philippines. Kung lahat ng Pinoy ay may pananaw at namumuhay ng maka-Diyos sa lahat ng aspeto ng buhay, malulutas natin ang karamihan ng ating mga problema sa bayan, dahil tayong rin namang mga Pinoy ang dahilan ng mga problemang ito.
Here's Sen. Pangilinan's 10 reason why there is genuine hope for the Philippines:
1) WE ARE LOCATED IN THE 'CENTER' OF EAST ASIA. We are strategically located at the heart of East Asia. North East Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, HK) and South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos) combined makes East Asia. Every major city in East Asia is 4 hours or less away from the Philippines by air transport. If ours were a real estate venture in a commercial area, ours is a location to die for. We can be the shipping and air transport hub of East Asia. We can be the top tourist destination of the region. We can be the cultural center of the region for performing arts.
2) WE ARE NO. 1 in AQUAMARINE RESOURCES WORLDWIDE. We have the most diverse aquamarine ecosystem in the entire world that if managed properly will feed not only our hungry people but will be a source of huge revenue coming from a world in dire need of aquamarine resources such as fish, seaweed and other similar products. The Seafood basket and aquamarine resource center of the world. We can be the aquamarine resource powerhouse of the world.
3) WE HAVE A HUGE TOURISM INDUSTRY POTENTIAL. Our people are by nature extremely friendly and hospitable. We are only doing/achieving some 3M tourist arrivals annually while our neighbors are doing four or five time more with 12 to 15 Million tourist visits annually. It has been said that other countries in the ASEAN are doing so much more with so little in terms of natural wonders and beautiful sites while we are doing so little with so much. With the right infrastructure such as highways and airports and seaports in place we can be the number one tourist destination in Asean if not Asia.
4) WE ARE NOW NO. 2 IN THE BPO INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE AND CAN BECOME NO.1. We are, I am told currently second to India in the Business Process Outsourcing Industry. I am told as well that this industry expects 30 percent growth this year despite the worldwide recession as foreign companies look aggressively to lowering costs of doing business and therefore look to business outsourcing.
5) WE ARE AN EXTREMELY CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC PEOPLE. We have been called the songbirds of Asia. Our reputation as performers is legendary throughout the world (although we have never been boastful about it). We can be the center of performing arts in Asia wherein millions would visit the country annually to marvel at our cultural performances and our artistic productions.
6) WE HAVE THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW GENERATION OF PROGRESSIVE AND RESULTS ORIENTED PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS. Since the restoration of democracy in 1986 and the passage of the Local Government code in 1991 (or some 20 years now), public officials have began to work with new resources (40 percent of national taxes are now plowed back to LGUs compared to less than 10 percent in 1986) made available by decentralization. Today a new generation of public sector leaders is emerging that is empowered, that is vision driven and results oriented. This explains why we have successful Local Government initiatives in Marikina, Makati, Naga City, Davao City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Calbayog City and General Santos City among others. Hence from a generation of public sector leaders that by and large was corrupt, lacking in vision, lacking in creativity and innovation, we now have the emergence of a new generation of public sector leaders with integrity, with proactive leadership and with a commitment to reform and genuine change. New governance models and templates that are solving age old problems in the field are being forged, being tempered as we speak. A new brand of political leadership is emerging focused on solving age old problems in governance. The old, failed methods utilized by the trapos will soon be crushed and defeated.
7) INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT IS ENHANCING OUR SENSE OF NATIONHOOD. We are fast becoming one nation, rather than a 'country' of many languages and many islands, now being connected by information communication technology. The ethno-linguistic barriers that used to keep us divided are being shattered by the interconnectivity of information technology. Today an entire generation of Filipinos fully understand and can connect with the Filipino language because of 2 decades of television news in Filipino (all TV news used to be English until 1986). The 3 elements of nationhood are common language, common territory and common economy. We are now becoming a nation because information technology is breaking the barriers that have prevented us from becoming united as a people. It is also now reconnecting some 10 Million Filipinos overseas to the motherland. We are becoming one nation and one people.
8) WE HAVE A RE EMERGING MIDDLE CLASS MINDSET. After over three decades of the OFW boom, we now have a new generation of citizens steeped with modern ideas coming from the highly successful host nations like Japan, Honh Kong, Singapore and the United Sates. Europe too has become host to hundreds of thousands of OWFs. The OFWs who have experienced life in these highly developed nations can now compare and contrast these experiences with the experiences in the motherland. In highly developed nations there is to a greater extent, a greater sense of accountability and a greater sense of justice and fair play.Our OFWs bring all that back home and having been enlightened by the experience will demand greater of their leaders back home. People are beginning to say enough is enough and are actually doing something about it.
9) WE ARE A YOUNG NATION. Close to 30 million of our 45 million voters are 18 to 35 years old. Very young. If harnessed effectively, these young voters can usher in the political and electoral change that we need to happen for genuine political and economic reforms to take place.
10) WE ARE A PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO LAUGH, WHO LOVE OUR FAMILIES. We are a resilient people. We can draw unimaginable strength and fortitude in times of difficulty in order to move ahead. We know how to survive despite so much pain and suffering. We know how to cope. We are willing to sacrifice so much of ourselves in order to provide for our family, our loved ones. This strength will not only bring us out of the mess we are in but will ensure that we are able to reach greater heights in our collective desire as a people to have a better life for those we truly care for, for those who mean the world to us. Our resilience in the long run will not only make us survive but will also ensure that we will triumph in the end.
Any thoughts?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Kapuso, Kapamilya, KaBlog
A Church is Not a Social Club
Thoughts from blogger and technology/theology enthusiast Arnold Gamboa on what the local church should be and should not be.
Middleman
Blogger James of Firebrands talks about our direct access to God's grace. No middleman needed.
Top 5 Proposed Plots for the Next Episodes of ABS-CBN "Maalaala Mo Kaya"
The Professional Heckler's follow up blog post on controversial "Maalaala Mo Kaya" episode that offended UPLB.
Thoughts from blogger and technology/theology enthusiast Arnold Gamboa on what the local church should be and should not be.
Middleman
Blogger James of Firebrands talks about our direct access to God's grace. No middleman needed.
Top 5 Proposed Plots for the Next Episodes of ABS-CBN "Maalaala Mo Kaya"
The Professional Heckler's follow up blog post on controversial "Maalaala Mo Kaya" episode that offended UPLB.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Kapuso, Kapamilya, KaBlog
Blog posts that caught my attention this week:
Probe of LPG ‘Shortage’ Should Start with ‘Big Four’ Firms
A supposed shortage in the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), one of the prime commodities in the Philippines, has sent some quarters pushing for an investigation into the issue. The question, however, is the context within which the probe is to be carried out...
Top Ten Filipino Films, According to The Movement
One of the best and informative Filipino news sources online, Bulatlat.com , asked a cross-section of aktibistas in the Philippines what their top ten local films were. The poll was conducted in 2002 among 37 organizers representing people’s organizations and NGOs. Most of the films mentioned match up with many critics top lists, such as Lino Brocka , Ishmael Bernal and Mike De Leon’s martial-law era social critiques (Maynila - pictured above, Himala , Sister Stella L ). But it’s interesting, but not surprising, to note how high Orapronobis (Brocka, 1988) - Brocka’s most overtly political film (and which has been banned from screening in the Philippines) - is ranked.
26 Percent Growth of Outsourcing in The Philippines
Sound like good news but I still keep my fingers crossed. This was about the announcement or declaration made by the head of the country’s Business Processing Association, Oscar Sanez. He declared that there was a 26 percent growth compared to 2007 and the companies in this country earned 6.06 Billion dollars in 2008. Also, officials and industry leaders anticipates the continuous growth due to the global financial crisis because foreign companies are seeking ways to cut expenses by hiring cheaper labor like in the Philippines.
Bb. Pilipinas 2009 Notables
Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Incorporated (BPCI), a non-stock, non-profit organization founded by its chair, Stella Márquez de Araneta, and the organizer of the Philippines most prestigious beauty pageant and the Philippine franchisee of the three most prestigious beauty title in the whole universe, namely, the Miss Universe Pageant, Miss World and Miss International, has concluded its grueling search for who will make it to their initial screenings.
Probe of LPG ‘Shortage’ Should Start with ‘Big Four’ Firms
A supposed shortage in the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), one of the prime commodities in the Philippines, has sent some quarters pushing for an investigation into the issue. The question, however, is the context within which the probe is to be carried out...
Top Ten Filipino Films, According to The Movement
One of the best and informative Filipino news sources online, Bulatlat.com , asked a cross-section of aktibistas in the Philippines what their top ten local films were. The poll was conducted in 2002 among 37 organizers representing people’s organizations and NGOs. Most of the films mentioned match up with many critics top lists, such as Lino Brocka , Ishmael Bernal and Mike De Leon’s martial-law era social critiques (Maynila - pictured above, Himala , Sister Stella L ). But it’s interesting, but not surprising, to note how high Orapronobis (Brocka, 1988) - Brocka’s most overtly political film (and which has been banned from screening in the Philippines) - is ranked.
26 Percent Growth of Outsourcing in The Philippines
Sound like good news but I still keep my fingers crossed. This was about the announcement or declaration made by the head of the country’s Business Processing Association, Oscar Sanez. He declared that there was a 26 percent growth compared to 2007 and the companies in this country earned 6.06 Billion dollars in 2008. Also, officials and industry leaders anticipates the continuous growth due to the global financial crisis because foreign companies are seeking ways to cut expenses by hiring cheaper labor like in the Philippines.
Bb. Pilipinas 2009 Notables
Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Incorporated (BPCI), a non-stock, non-profit organization founded by its chair, Stella Márquez de Araneta, and the organizer of the Philippines most prestigious beauty pageant and the Philippine franchisee of the three most prestigious beauty title in the whole universe, namely, the Miss Universe Pageant, Miss World and Miss International, has concluded its grueling search for who will make it to their initial screenings.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Kapuso, Kapamilya, KaBlog
Here's my first Kapuso, Kapamilya, KaBlog post that will feature snippets of selected blog posts that caught my attention this week. Visit, read and post your comments.
Filipino Voices blog posted some good thought provoking questions about the 2010 presidential elections that will serve as a good reminder for us to examine all aspiring candidates for experience, truthfulness and integrity. Will anyone tell me who should lead this country next so that any form of corruption can - no longer rear its ugly head?
Some good news from Good News Pilipinas about Filipino ingenuity and the transformation of former landfill Payatas, Quezon City: A Philippine social enterprise won the Grand Prize in the international leg of the Business in Development Challenge, an online business plan competition, presented in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Rags2Riches, whose bags are produced by women from Payatas, stole the spotlight from 32 other entries, no less than the best and the brightest after a series of rigorous elimination rounds done in nine BiD satellite countries worldwide.
Just when we thought we've seen the last Rocky movie, here goes a new tsismis of Rocky 7 on the planning table. It will of course feature grandpa Sylvester Stallone and no other than our very own Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquioa. Click here for a blog post on it and share your joy or dismay.
Filipino Voices blog posted some good thought provoking questions about the 2010 presidential elections that will serve as a good reminder for us to examine all aspiring candidates for experience, truthfulness and integrity. Will anyone tell me who should lead this country next so that any form of corruption can - no longer rear its ugly head?
Some good news from Good News Pilipinas about Filipino ingenuity and the transformation of former landfill Payatas, Quezon City: A Philippine social enterprise won the Grand Prize in the international leg of the Business in Development Challenge, an online business plan competition, presented in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Rags2Riches, whose bags are produced by women from Payatas, stole the spotlight from 32 other entries, no less than the best and the brightest after a series of rigorous elimination rounds done in nine BiD satellite countries worldwide.
Just when we thought we've seen the last Rocky movie, here goes a new tsismis of Rocky 7 on the planning table. It will of course feature grandpa Sylvester Stallone and no other than our very own Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquioa. Click here for a blog post on it and share your joy or dismay.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Introducing "Living Rice" - A Blog About the Philippines & Christian Worldview
This is my humble attempt to emulate The Point blog (where I am also a regular contributor) in bringing Christian worldview discussions on various topics of the day.
"Rice" is the staple food of Filipinos and it represents the daily conversations over the dinner table on issue such as relationship, politics, faith, showbiz, etc. “Living Rice” is the everyday discussion on the different aspects of Filipino life from a Christian worldview perspective or the viewpoint of the living word of Christ.
Welcome to "Living Rice", where Christ's life meets Pinoy's life.
Sincerely,
Jason Bruce
"Rice" is the staple food of Filipinos and it represents the daily conversations over the dinner table on issue such as relationship, politics, faith, showbiz, etc. “Living Rice” is the everyday discussion on the different aspects of Filipino life from a Christian worldview perspective or the viewpoint of the living word of Christ.
Welcome to "Living Rice", where Christ's life meets Pinoy's life.
Sincerely,
Jason Bruce
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