"Superstition on the Richter scale"

Thanks to my friend Vicki, I stumbled upon this article from Cito Beltran. As I mentioned on my previous blog post, popular ang mga psychic at manghuhula ngayong bagaong taon and Beltran shares what to him really brings true fortune to his family. His suggestion number 4 is really the key and meat of the entire article. Gusto ko yung commentary nya about the Filipinos at ang sinabi nya na true source of good fortune:

What the Future Holds

In demand na naman ang mga psychic at manhuhula tuwing new year. Sa hirap ng buhay, madami ang handang gumastos kapalit ng assurance na madaming swerte ang dadatuing sa buhay nila. Very comforting malaman ang future but dangerous din.

Are there more Filipina women looking for a spouse overseas than local Filipino men wanting to marry them?

Hope the title doesn't sound insensitive, but its the first question that came to my mind when I did a Google search on "marriage" and "Philippines." Search results were primarily on mail-order-brides, foreign fiance visas and international match-making agencies. I know a simple online search is insufficient and I don't know any reports or statistics to support my initial inquiry but if my assumption were true, then it's a heartbreaking reality that many Filipina face in their legitimate search for a mate. Let's just hope Im wrong.

Manny Pacquiao and Broken Marriage Vows

Instead of joining other reporters and showbiz talk shows on giving endless (and annoying) coverage or analysis on Manny Pacquiao marraige woes, Joey De Leon offered a fictional anecdote that will surely tickle our thoughts regarding a serious marital issue our Pamabansang Kamao has got himself into:

Reporter: “Ah Pacman, sino ba talaga ang dapat sisihin o i--blame dito sa issue tungkol sa iyo at sa isang pretty actress?” 

Pacman: “Palagay ko, ‘yung pari na nag-refereenoong ikasal kami ng asawa ko.”

Reporter: “Bakit mo naman nasabi ‘yon?”

Pacman: “Kasi, ang advice niya sa’kin noon — para daw maging successful ang pagsasama namin eh ilagay ko raw sa gitna naming dalawa si Kristo.”

Reporter: “Sinunod mo naman ba?”

Pacman: “Oo naman … medyo na-wrong spelling lang nang konti.”

Though celebrity scandal can be a bit interesting and amusing, we all need to be reminded that real life effects of infidelity and broken marriage vows are not. The grief and pain families specially children experience are no laughing matter. The best response is to pray for those who are hurting and also look in the mirror to examine our own lives. If you're married, may this be a teaching moment that preserving the sacrament of your marriage should be the greatest fight of your lives. Remember, "what God has joined together, let not man separate.

Christian Worldview and Kids

Teaching Christian worldview to children can be a challenge, because parents are required to find creative ways to simplify profound Biblical truths or respond to questions like “Why can’t I see Jesus?” or “Why is hell hot?” that test our knowledge of basic fundamentals of Christian faith.

For our kids, we've found movies an effective way to introduce worldview. We teach our 5-year-old daughter the concept of “opposites” by showing her characters that are acceptable and unacceptable, and we're training her early to find messages behind what she sees onscreen. We had one of our best moments as parents of young children when our daughter said the other day, “Every time I see a bad person in a movie it reminds me of how good God is.”

How about you? How do you teach your children or teens Christian worldview?

(Originally posted on The Point blog)

Tunay na Mukha ni Santa

Di ko alam kung paano minana ng Philippines ang paniniwala kay Santa Claus pero karamihan ng mga bansa sa buong mundo ay may sariling version ng Santa o naniniwala sa isang “gift-giver” tuwing pasko. But do you ever wonder kung anong tunay na itsura ni Santa Claus? Click here to find out and more importantly try to read who the real Santa Claus is - Saint Nicholas, a former bishop from Turkey who loves children and witnesses Christ’s love for others.

Remembering Primitivo Mijares and His Message to Maguindanao

I still can't get over thinking about the fate of the 57 Filipinos brutally murdered in Maguindanao. Makes one think how can a person commit such atrocity. I'm just glad that charges have been filed against Mayor Ampatuan Jr., the prime suspect of the crime. I hope and pray that justice will be granted to all victims of this horrible murder.

The massacre reminded me of another politics related crime - the mysterious disappearance of Primitivo Mijares. The former right-hand aid to Ferdinand Marcos turned star witness and whistleblower against the martial law regime. I always admire Mijares' bravery to speak out against a dictator and his mysterious disappearance has always intrigued me since I learned about it many years ago. Mijares, also a former journalist, withdrew his support from Marcos and testified at the US Congress exposing the Marcos' abuse of power during martial law. He also authored the book "The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos" that revealed more details of corruption and human rights violations of Mr. and Mrs. Marcos. As a result, Mijares' young son was abducted, tortured and killed allegedly as a form of revenge or a warning sign for his revelation. Primitivo Mijares later on also suddenly disappeared and was never to be found to this date. Marcos was suspected as the mastermind of his disappearance and the murder of his young son. Both cases were never brought to justice.

I got a big surprised last year when I ordered a used copy of Mijares' "Conjugal Dictatorship" from an independent book seller on Amazon. The book has been out of print for many years so the book was a rare find.  When I got the book in the mail, I discovered the copy has a personal signed message from Mijares himself dated Nov. 27, 1976 addressed to the original owner of the book. Thought I'll post a photo of his message online - I think of it as a reminder of hope and prayer for the restoration of personal freedom and democracy to all affected by the Maguindanao Massacre and victims of all unresolved cases of political violence in the Philippines.

Smart Moves

I just read that Senator Escudero is backing out of the presidential and vice presidential race and will be supporting the candidacy of Senator Aquino. If this is true, then I say, smart move. He should seriously consider joining the Liberal Party.

Governor Santos-Recto and husband Ralph Recto recently joined the LP, smart move. What would really be a smart move would be if former Senator Recto admits to the public that the additional 2% VAT he pushed through Congress has accomplished nothing but add to the people's burden, as former Senator Osmena had contested. What would be a smart move on Senator Aquino's part, then, would be to get Osmena back in his senatorial slate by all means possible.

Bad move on the part of Senator Villar. Senator Legarda is history. I don't believe she can accomplish anything anymore. She has lost credibility in the eyes of our youth. She should consider going back to broadcast journalism, as well. Still another bad move on Senator Villar's part is getting Governor Marcos on his senatorial ticket. Old politics. Trapo politics. Being wise and being street wise are two different things. Senator Villar will be fortunate if he gets 30% of the vote.

There are a number of old horses in Congress. They should retire. That would be an accomplishment for them.

Senator Aquino will be the next president of the Philippines. Senator Roxas will be vice-president. Come 2016, we will see a new kind of politics in Philippines history. We will have an electorate that is wired differently. By then, the 18-40 voters will have a much different life and world view than the dominant one today. "Mar" Roxas, "Chiz" Escudero, "Ate V" Santos-Recto and "Kiko" Pangilinan are the personalities to watch. These smart people will be our performance-driven leaders in politics.

Escaping the Mindanao Massacre

Its sad to hear the massacre that occured in Maguindanao province recently that killed about 46 people including journalists, children and pregnant women. Though its bad news, I am gratetful for the people who reported it via traditional and non-traditional media to make it known around the world the human rights violations that takes place in the Philippines every election season - ensuring the 12 journalists murdered in the massacre not die in vain.

Most Filipinos around the world may be busy working and taking care of their families. A tragedy like this can easily escape our attention. But Filipinos should be made aware of the evils of human rights violations and the need to do something more than watching the news. Surely knowing about the massacre does not solve the human rights crisis in the Philippines, but it is certainly a first step.

Remember to pray for all who are affected by this tragedy.

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Fireproof Part 2?

Christian News reports a followup to the movie Fireproof will explore the topic of fatherhood. Fireproof starred Kirk Cameron as a firefighter. The 2008 independent movie was produced by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georiga which plans to start filming Courageous this spring. It should hit theaters a year later, telling the story of four fathers in law enforcement who go through a tragedy together. Fireproof made more than $33 million on a budget of about half-a-million. The movie had limited screening in the Philippines but was a big hit to those who saw it specially in the evangelical christian community. As I said in my previous post about the movie, I think its one of the best dramas I've seen recently and meets the common "melo-dramatic-tear-jerking" formula Filipinos never tires to see on TV and movies everyday. Will Courageous meet the same expectation? Abangan na lang ang susunod na kabanata.