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Saturday, November 23, 2013

Yet another Word-twisting from Bishop-haters and Church-bashers

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles is under attack due to his alleged comment that the destruction brought by Typhoon Yolanda was caused by the RH Law.

Admins and supporters of the One Million Voices Against CBCP Facebook Page (which should actually named as 3000+ little voices against CBCP) are spreading this poster:

"Quote" of Lipa Archbishop Arguelles invented by Church-haters

Their poster claimed that Archbishop Arguelles said the following:
“Yung nangyayari sa atin, lindol, baha, super typhoon is God's message to people. It is the result of "ungodly" laws such as the Reproductive Health (RH) Law”

I almost believed their poster until I read the news article in ABS-CBNnews.com where they “copied” the quote. The quote in their poster is nowhere to be found in the news article! What they did is to string words in the news article and then present them as one quote.

I gave the poster-makers the benefit of the doubt and googled the made-up quote. This is the result:

Proof that Church-haters invented the quote against Lipa Archbishop Arguelles

It is obvious that they have no other source for their made-up quote. The Google search even exposed their lies.

I even posted my objective research to the  One Million Voices Against CBCP FB Page but this what I got:

Hate-filled comment against me

It seems like these people are allergic to the truth, especially if the truth is against their hate-filled beliefs.

Well, at least I learned a lesson and that is to be more careful in dealing with Church-haters because they will lie and lie just to justify their hate.

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UPDATE: It seems like the admin of  One Million Voices Against CBCP FB Page blocked my comment. This is another proof that they are lying.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Girl Power #368: Standing Inside a Moving Bus

One wonderful gift that the modern feminists (a.k.a. Femi-nazis) gave to women is the power not be offered by men their seats inside a moving vehicle. Thanks to these feminists, women need not to deal with gentlemen and take the comfort of standing inside the very cramped and zigzagging bus for the whole duration of journey.

A feminist office mate once complained about the rarity of gentlemen in the Philippines. People, or men in particular, already forgot good manners like offering their seat to ladies and waiting for women to offer their hand before the handshake.

What my feminist office mate forgot to note is that the feminism that she trumpets about is the cause of her complaints. Most modern feminists declare that women can do whatever men can do. Some even say that women can do better than men.

It is not only women who have such feminist ideas imprinted on their brains. Men too have the same thoughts, which is the result of the relentless battering of feminism in our minds in the mainstream media. There was time when I told a girl friend not to wish for men to offer their seat for her because she is a strong woman thus she don't need the help of any man.

Men stopped being gentlemen not because their good manners are gone. The real reason is that real ladies, the natural partners of gentlemen, are gone. What we have are women who were told to become like men for the sake of equality.

And because of this “equality” men all over the Philippines (especially in the urban areas) let the women exercise the right to do whatever men can do. So thus we have ladies who are empowered to stand inside the speeding bus.

This is women empowerment and we thank the femi-nazis for this.

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This post was made for Filipinos for Life's October Blogging Event - Girl Power: Upholding the Dignity of Women, Shunning Feminism 

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Sunday Reflections: If You Don't Believe in Moses and the Prophets then You Won't Believe in Jesus

Lazarus and the Rich Man by Gustave Dore
Lazarus and the Rich Man by Gustave Dore.
Today's Gospel reading is about two kinds of people. One is an unnamed rich man. The other is the poor man named Lazarus who just filled himself with the scraps coming from the table of the rich man. Lazarus' condition is so bad that dogs come to lick the sores that cover his whole body. The two eventually died and Lazarus was taken to the “bosom of Abraham” and the other was taken to eternal torment.

Of the many things that can be gleaned from this parable, what caught my attention is these words of our Lord: “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.”

The parable refers to Lazarus but it can also interpreted to refer to Jesus Christ, he who actually rose from the dead.

Our Church teaches that the Old Testament, which includes the law established by Moses and the writings of the Prophets, “is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 121). That we cannot do away with the “old scripture” because it is Divinely inspired.

In today's Gospel, it can be said that those who don't believe in the teachings found in the Old Testament will find it uneasy to believe in the teachings of the Resurrected One. “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.”

Many people, nowadays, want to do away with the teachings found in the Old Testament. These people, in turn, separates Jesus Christ (who they incorrectly label as “very” forgiving, “very” tolerant, peace loving God) from the God in the Old Testament (who they erroneously believe always chastises and punishes people).

Today's Gospel reminds us that Jesus Christ said that he came not to destroy the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). Let us then be reminded not to diminish the Old Testament nor throw it away. The Law and Prophets are indispensable parts of the Christ's teachings. For what God has taught in the age of the Patriarchs, or of Moses, or the Prophets is still true until today and for eternity.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Aquino and Cabinet Should Quit - Tatad

In connection to the issue of the Pork Barrel Scam that is still raging in our country, let me post the press release of former Senator Francisco Tatad regarding the dare of presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

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Francisco Tatad and Edwin Lacierda on the Pork Barrel Scam
Tatad VS Lacierda


I am extremely flattered by the special attention Malacanang continues to give me for exposing the reported luncheon meeting between President Aquino and Janet Lim Napoles on August 28, hours before she “surrendered” to the President. The presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda has promised to quit if I am able to name my sources and prove what they have revealed. I don’t believe he is offering enough: he should say Aquino himself would quit if Malacanang is unable to disprove my sources.

No threat, coercion, intimidation, cajoling or provocation will tempt me to betray my sources. If my sources decide to come out on their own and tell Mr. Lacierda what they have shared with me in the highest confidence, I will not stand in their way. But I will not ask them to make martyrs of themselves.

The tragedy here is that Mr. Lacierda has failed to deny the story with any demonstrable competence. He never denied that he accompanied Napoles to Malacanang at 10:30 am of August 28, and he never denied that she had lunch with Aquino and other Cabinet members inside the Music Room before he escorted her out at 4:30 pm, and back again at 9:27 pm when she formally “surrendered” to the President.

He tried to show that Aquino was not in Malacanang at 10 am, and at 1:30 pm. Respectively, which is beside the point. This was never in issue, and it does not contradict the story from my sources. Lacierda could have shown a film recording of the Music Room without anybody there from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm, but that could not be done, and he did not do it. Instead he chose to call me names while my articles online have since ended being linked to a pornographic website.

Lacierda fails to grasp the fact that the issue has grown far beyond the unexplained and inexplicable reported secret lunch. That is now but one small detail of a much bigger picture that has since emerged.

Given Aquino’s state-guest treatment of Napoles when she “surrendered” and his acting as her chief security officer when she was transferred to Camp Crame, and the recent revelations of her having acted as conduit for the massive transfer of “pork barrel” funds to induce members of Congress to impeach and remove then Chief Justice Renato Corona, and to railroad the widely-opposed anti-Catholic Reproductive Health bill in 2012—which has been partly confirmed by Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.--- the real issue now is what is the actual relationship between Napoles and Aquino and some members of his Cabinet, Lacierda himself included?

Malacanang’s inability to disprove the web of evidence showing a deep and hitherto hidden relationship between Aquino and Napoles calls for something much bigger than the resignation of Malacanang’s mouthpiece. It calls for the resignation of the President and his entire Cabinet, to say the least.

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Image sources:

Francisco Tatad's picture came from his blog, First Things First. Edwin Lacierda's picture came from Philippine Daily Inquirer's website.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Questions for the Brokenhearted

Harima Kenji and Tsukamoto Tenma
(Image drawn by Fayeuh)


I did not expect that an anime will affect me deeply. It is like a light wind that made the dust in the eerie parts of my mind float. Now I have a hard time thinking of other things until all the little specks are settled.

It was said that if you are to love someone then you should love that person with everything that you've got: all of your strength, all of your heart, and all of  your soul. You are to love your most special someone as you love yourself. It is all or nothing when it comes to love.

But what if your 100% love was ignored or rejected. What will the feeling be? How much pain can it possibly create in the heart of the person who loves?

Is there a person who can still love despite the rejection and the pain? Does he only exist in fiction?

I pondered. I wondered. But the questions rolled and rolled around my head. I asked where are the answers and then I remembered the cross and the man hanging there.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Dressing Them Up into Little Women

There is something that many Filipinos consider to be cute but which I find disconcerting. That something may be summarized by this:

Bad fashion trend for little women as shown by Noah Cyrus
(Source: Safety Web)

It seems like more and more parents are dressing their little girls with grown-up clothes. I've seen little girls dressed in spaghetti straps, or in mini-skirts, or in small shirts that show their belly button. I've even seen some little girls wearing make-up!

Making little girls wear the Sex Bomb outfits is not inherently evil but it shows how their parents think. It shows how modern mothers and fathers value the innocence of their children.

I believe that children should act like children as long as their age allows it. Being a little child is a one time event and it can never be regained once its gone. Thus, it is the duty of parents to protect their children's innocence and keep them away from influences that can poison their minds.

It is hard to keep children away from the poisons of the modern world. The corruption wrought by Sexual Revolution was already ingrained in our society. Thus we have the showbusiness that cheapens love into sexual affairs. Thus we have advertisers who use sexual innuendos to sell products. And on and on and on.

Modesty is the first thing that was thrown away at the onset of Sexual Revolution. The long skirts gave way to ultra-mini skirts. The neckline that is actually set on the neck is now plunging just above the breasts. Even some of the clothes today are made of see-through cloths.

Generation after generation of women were made to believe that wearing clothes that appeal to men's eyes are fashionable – ah yes, SEXy. Generation after generation of women were made to believe that it is good to be fantasized by men and many ladies placed their happines on being desired sexually by men.

The current generation of mothers and fathers already swallowed the corrupt fruits of Sexual Revolution. That's why it is not surprising that they are the first ones to dress their daughters as strippers.

This immodest fashion trend for children's clothing is just the tip of the iceberg. I can still recall my online “fistfight” on Facebook regarding a McDonalds ad that featured two little children in a courting scene. And yes, many people also find the ad very cute.

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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Burn All the Chairs!

There is one thing that a kid throwing tantrums will not receive and that is praise. He may get the toys that he demands but he will not be praised by his parents. He may even receive a spanking for his misbehavior.

Apparently, some adults didn't outgrew their habit  of throwing tantrums. Some of them even mixed it with popular ideologies to make it appealing and, in the process, acceptable. I'm referring to the leftist activists who have the habit of throwing tantrums just to send their points across.

Burn all the chairs meme


I was attacked on Facebook this week because I criticized the “burning of the chairs” done by student activists of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). The activists burned the chairs to protest the alleged “2,000% tuition fee hike”.

The person who attacked me argued that the burning of the chairs is justifiable because they are fighting for a lofty reason, and that is to keep PUP education accessible to the poor. In short, she argued that the “end justifies the means”. 

Student activists burning chairs
(Source: Library of Most Controversial File FB page)


My opponent also argued that they (the student activists) have the right to burn the chairs because “they are taxpayers too”.

Argument of the pro-chair burning in PUP


My reply to her two arguments is “wrong and wrong”.

Burning chairs and destroying public property is wrong because they're owned by the Filipino people as a whole. Each Filipino, including the student activists, has a right for that chair because he paid for it by his taxes. The claim that the activists have the right to burn the chairs because they are taxpayers too is foolish because they trampled upon the right of other taxpayers who don't want the chairs to be destroyed. They unjustly gave themselves sole authority to decide on the fate of those chairs.

The student activists argued that the chairs were already dilapidated and unusable thus suitable for burning. This argument is still baloney. Ownership is not determined by the condition of the property. My shirt is still my shirt even if it is already faded and full of holes. Those chairs that were fed to the fire is still owned by the public even if they are rickety or missing a leg.

Fighting for an ideal doesn't give idealists the license to do everything they want. Our actions are limited by the boundaries set by rights of other people. In the case of public property, my right to use it is limited by the right of other people to use it. I can say that I own the chair (I'm a taxpayer too) but I'm not allowed to carry it home. In the similar sense, I can say that I own the chair but I'm not allowed to burn it. My right to the publicly-owned chair is limited because my actions (carrying it home and burning it) prevented other people to exercise their right to use that publicly-owned chair!

Claiming that the “burning of the chairs” benefited PUP students because it stopped the tuition hike is worrisome not because their claim is questionable (PUP president said that the activists were misinformed because there's no tuition increase for undergraduate courses) but because their act is like that of a kid throwing tantrums. Their “victory” will surely embolden them to use the similar act whenever they demand something. And just like a kid throwing tantrum, their  acts will go wilder and wilder if their elders don't give in to their demands. Perhaps they'll burn a building of PUP when the university admin stopped being threatened by the “burning of the chairs”.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Buhay o Patay?

Team Buhay o Team Patay


“Sa buhay ka ba o sa patay?” - ito marahil ang mainit na tanong ngayong panahon ng eleksyon sa ating bansa. Salamat sa Archdiocese ng Bacolod at pumaibabaw muli ang isyu patungkol sa RH Law na pilit ibinabaon ng mga kandidatong pro-RH (pro-patay) na tumatakbo sa Senado at Kongreso. Dahil lang sa iisang tarp na ipinaskil sa katedral ay napapaisip ngayon ang mga tao kung sino ang Team Patay at kung sino ang Team Buhay.

Ang isyu ng RH Law ay parang zombie na nagbalik mula sa hukay. Akala ng mga pro-patay na mga kandidato ay tapos na ang isyu noong kanilang ipinilit ito noong nakaraang taon. Nagkamali sila.

Nakita ko ang paninidigan ng mga tao kontra sa RH Bill noong sumali ako sa prayer rally sa EDSA. Kahit umuulan ay hindi natinag ang mga tao. Kahit ilang oras nakatayo ay walang problema. Ang mahalaga ay maihayag sa mga pinuno ng gobyerno ang saloobin laban sa RH Bill.

Crowd at EDSA prayer rally
(Source: CBCP for Life)


Naisip ko noong araw na iyon na ito ang mga taong na hindi na lang tatahimik kapag naipasa ang RH Bill. At sa tingin ko ay tama ako.

Ang mga taong sumusuporta para sa Team Buhay ay ang mga libo-libong tao na nagtyaga sa prayer rally, ang mga taong nakikipagbakbakan sa Facebook at Twitter, at ang mga simpleng tao na kumilos upang tutulan ang RH Bill sa kanilang paraan.

Hindi pa tapos ang laban ng RH Law at hindi pa kami sumusuko. Kaming mga Pilipinong na tapat pa sa Simbahan at mga pro-lifers na hindi kaanib ng Simbahan, kami ang tatapos sa mga Team Patay. Tuloy ang laban!

Oh ano? Sa buhay ka ba o sa patay?

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Farewell Pope Benedict

I saw a flurry of Facebook posts from my Catholic friends that made me tremble the day Pope Benedict XVI announced his abdication.

Some of my friends said that they are crying. Other expressed their disbelief. I expected the worst and almost asked them, “is the Pope dead?”

He is very much alive but the news still struck me hard. Pope Benedict XVI decided to step down of the Petrine Office. He is leaving the Papacy and thus the Church is in to a turbulent times in her history.

Pope Benedict XVI is the pope on the day when I decided to be more serious in professing my Catholic Faith. I look up to him as the father of all Catholics. A steady guide in the reforming the institutions within the Church.

I cried yesterday night as I watched the last papal audience. Something stirred in me while I listen to Pope Benedict's speech. I just noticed that tears are welling up in my eyes.

Ah, Yes! I cried. I cried for this man who I never met personally. I cried for him because I love him.

It is his last day as pope and all I can say is this: “Farewell Pope Benedict. Thank you for everything that you did for the Church!”



All I can do now is to pray for him.

It is also the time to pray for the cardinals that they may elect the man chosen by God to become the next pope.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Great Humility of Mary

Whenever the humility of the Virgin Mary is talked about, the obvious reference would be the episode of the Annunciation. In that event, an angel visited with the news that she will bore the Son of the Most High God and that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and overshadow her (Luke 1:35). Mary, which I think still had a lot of questions in her heart, answered with her “fiat”.

Mary's “fiat” is the word that shows her humility and utter dependence to God. Thus, many will call her the humblest of all of God's creatures.



One time, as I pondered the Third Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary, I was struck with a thought about the humility of our Mother. Mary, I mused, once again let the Holy Spirit overshadow her during the Pentecost.

The death of our Lord shook all of His disciples. Many hid in the upper room where Jesus took His last meal. They locked the doors in fear of their persecutors. The appearance of Jesus after His resurrection stirred hope into the hearts of His disciples but it is still not enough. They are still afraid.

The Apostles turned to Mary to seek the comfort of her faith in God. She acted as their mother in a way that Jesus told her while He is hanging on the cross. Up to the day of Pentecost, all of Jesus followers look up to the Virgin Mary.

If Mary is a lesser being then she can easily claim the role as the leader of the early Church. No one can contest her, even Peter, because she can easily say to apostles these words:

“You Peter have not been faithful up to end. You betrayed my Son three times and you fled. All of you, His apostles left him. I have been faithful to Him to the end. I stayed with Him at the foot of the cross. He gave all of you to me as your mother, higher than each and every one of you.”

Our Mother, however, is not a lesser being. She is the woman who is pure and pleasing to God. Thus, when the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost she once again let the power of God overpower her. She who only desires to please God pleased Him once again because she desired His will alone. She desired Peter to be the leader of the Church together with the other Apostles.



Jesus said that those who humble themselves will be exalted in Heaven. Mary is the humblest of all thus God exalted her to the pinnacle of His creations. He assumed her to Heaven (4th Glorious Mystery) and crowned her (5th Glorious Mystery) to become the Queen of all Saints.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Let's Speak More about Chastity


In a world where sex was cheapen into a mere act of pleasure, it is surprising to see positive comments about a video talking about chastity. The video that I'm referring to is the interview made by Live Pure Movement with PBA player Chris Tiu.
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This is not the only instance where Chris talked about chastity. He posted on his blog his experience when he attended the talk of Jason Evert about chastity, love and relationship. There he said that he is a believer of chastity and purity.

Pinoy celebrities like Chris Tiu are very rare. Celebrities in Philippine showbiz exchange partners faster than you can spell Mississippi. Even politicians (i.e. Chiz Escudero, Noynoy Aquino) are infected with this style of relationship.

Chris Tiu didn't mince words during his interview. In the video he said:

1. Having sex when you are not married is superficial and fleeting and will not give lasting happiness.
2. Love involves sacrificing and waiting.

These are hard words that run contrary to the message being peddled by the media.

The feedback on Chris Tiu's video is great. Many hailed him as “good role model” to the youth. Such positive feedback surprised me. I expected many comments contradicting the words of Chris Tiu. I even expected commenters saying that “chastity is medieval” or “chastity is old-fashioned”.

The positive feedback shows that many Filipinos are satiated with sex-saturated media. Many Filipinos desire a breath of fresh air, a breath of truth about sexuality and love. Many wanted to hear about chastity but only few are willing to talk about it.

I believe that all Christians: bloggers, media practitioners, and celebrities, those who can broadcast the teachings on chastity should speak more about this virtue.

It is time to speak about Chastity without fear and expect to hear from many Pinoys who are eager to listen to what we are about to say.

Unearthing my Talents


“What am I doing with my talents?”

This question confronted me again as I meditate during my prayer time this first Sunday of Lent. Was this a nudge from the Lord? I may never know the answer. But this nudge is enough for me to realize that I need to do something more.

About 7 years ago, I started two blogs. One is a personal blog. The other is a sort of socio-political blog. I thought, during those times, that I knew a lot of things. That my political commentaries are correct. The pride in my writing increased when a group of bloggers invited me to join their “collective blog”.

My years of writing for my socio-political blog continued until an incident occurred that caused me to withdraw the blog from the world. That incident is the pin that blew my huffed-up pride. I realized that I am just an arrogant and ignorant man babbling on things that I have limited knowledge of.

That's when I buried my talents and decided to limit myself on blogging about topics that are not risky. “I'm doing this”, I said, “for peace”.
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I know at the onset that being a follower of Jesus Christ is not convenient. It is inconvenient to fast, to abstain, to pray the Rosary everyday, and to read the Bible. The more of these inconveniences I commit the more inconveniences I desire. All of these inconveniences points to the inconvenience of the Cross.

And now, I feel that I'm being nudged to take the inconvenience of my talents. To write about inconvenient things.
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The pitiful servant digging for his talents.


I think about the pitiful servant who buried his talents so as to keep it “safe”. I am that servant and I'm digging my talents now hoping that I it is not too late to make it profitable.

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Image sources:

The first image is a painting by Titian entitled "Christ Carrying the Cross" from Wikipainting.
The second image was cropped from the 1712 woodcut of the Parable of the Talents from Wikipedia.