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I checked my twitter timeline earlier and GMA News flashed: “Pope: Gay marriage a threat to humanity's future”.  And then later a “married” gay couple answers the pope back, saying “We're not threats”.  Obviously the pope was referring to the phenomenon of gay marriage, but the couple was referring to their persons.  There is a difference.  Don't be misled by others—the Catechism mentions that homosexuals “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.  Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided (CCC 2358).”

In the Reuters report Gay marriage a threat to humanity's future — Pope, Pope Benedict said that gay marriage was one of several threats to the traditional family that undermined the future of humanity itself.  While it is true that there are many assaults on the traditional family, a legalized gay marriage turns the institution itself inutile.

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous (Heb 13.4 RSV).”

For some, the family is just a partnership, and it is devoid of responsibility in rearing children, the natural consequence.  To initiate a family, legitimate marriage is the prerequisite.  “The family unit is fundamental for the educational process and for the development both of individuals and states; hence there is a need for policies which promote the family and aid social cohesion and dialogue (Reuters).”

 “The fruitfulness of conjugal love extends to the fruits of the moral, spiritual, and supernatural life that parents hand on to their children by education. Parents are the principal and first educators of their children.  In this sense the fundamental task of marriage and family is to be at the service of life (CCC 1653).”

The Pope is the prophet of our time, and unfortunately, no prophet is welcome in his time.  He's not there to make life miserable, but to make it better if only everyone heeds.

“Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.  That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Cor 6.9-11 NABRE).”

Folks, many of us fail, but there is redemption.  It's never too late to change...

           

Reproductive Health Bill

I started to write something about this several months ago, and it was never finished; blame procrastination.  Although I guess it's still in the news on occasion, especially when Sen. Defensor-Santiago delivered those pick-up lines, much better than Boy Pick-up™.

The controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill is labeled as House Bill (HB) No. 4244 (in substitution of HB 96, 101, 513, 1160, 1520 and 3387).  It is entitled The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011.  Section 1 says "The State recognizes and guarantees the exercise of the universal basic human right to reproductive health by all persons, particularly of parents, couples and women, consistent with their religious convictions, cultural beliefs and the demands of responsible parenthood..."

 The way I see it, two issues are at the core of why the Church is against it.  While we are the Church, there is a thing called the Magisterium—its teaching authority.  The reader has to know that many groups who call themselves Christian teach that artificial contraception is okay.  All the "churches" succumbed to the culture of death; only the Catholic Church remains standing.  And when the Church teaches, the faithful listen.  While the primary target of the pronouncements is the faithful, the message nonetheless is sowed on the entire human race, and it's profitable to heed her call.

1. The bill incorporates artificial contraception; the Church naturally will oppose it.  The church is entirely pro-life, and conception of new life is part of that.  If conception gives new life, naturally any means that frustrates it is immoral.  I agree, it's a hard doctrine, but it's the doctrine.  [Read Humanæ Vitæ]
       
2. The bill will use tax-payers' money to pay for the available contraceptives.  If the bill passes, those against artificial contraception will, in effect, be buying them.  While the church frowns upon the dissemination of contraceptives, it has to accept it because it's private funds that are used, and individuals are free to do things.  At least it's not public funds.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1.7 RSV)

Unless you're a child, birthdays come and go, often without any fanfare, just some food and drinks, and perhaps a cake with a candle on top for the romantics.  And gifts are out of the picture.

The usual monotony was broken when my niece Terê gave me a simple birthday card.  It was done on plain bond paper using a pencil and an eraser (if you work near kids, you notice the eraser is busy).  Well... in short, that made my day!

Little things matter a lot, especially if you see the underlying effort and thought invested in the task.

Communication is universal regardless of age, and it's not even a human monopoly.  Other life forms use it.  Adults invariably use letters, numbers and other symbols in their messages.  Children on the other hand use drawings no matter how rudimentary they may look.  And since they are virtual pictographs, the readers understand the message.  Obviously we cannot over-analyze the drawings.

Pope Benedict XVI once said that "children truly are the family's greatest treasure and most precious good."  Especially for the parents, we should nurture the children and give proper attention to them.  The little thing you utter today may go a long way.  And because of this, people around kids should shun saying bad words.  There are many things that turns me off, and cursing is on top of the list!

Surely as children, we can remember one person in our lives who we idolized and gave us good advice and pointers growing up.  We can become such person to the young ones.  "All grown-ups were once children—although few of them remember it" (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).

Admittedly it's difficult with this kind of media, inclusive of the Internet's dark edge, but let's preserve our little angels' innocence, and protect their dignity as human beings, sons and daughters of God above.  Our Lord Jesus Christ himself mentioned it in Matthew 18.6; 19.14 (RSV):

"...But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

For fear of being misunderstood, or perhaps akin to going against the flow, I hesitated writing about this topic.  I'm a little fed-up by the constant promo of taking the "straight path" (matuwid na daan) not because I'm against it but because it's just a slogan, not something tangible.  It's just lip service, I'm afraid.  But it's the same old story.

It's good to prosecute erring officials but I guess the process is not ideal; I want it to be more legal than political, and nothing personal.  There should be fairness and equal protection under the law, not skewed or selective.

One issue at hand is the not so subtle attempt to purge officials of important offices whose only sin is being appointed by the previous dispensation.  There are many areas in constitutional bodies but let's focus on the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court (SC).  The administration is sending mixed signals, saying one thing and doing another.  One time they say they are hands-off to possible impeachment of justices, some other time hints otherwise.  We always hear them say the present SC is beholden to the previous president, so they want them replaced.  But unless it's not yet obvious, when they appoint new justices, aren't they beholden to the present leader if we follow the logic?  They in effect are replacing the Arroyo SC with the new Aquino SC.  That is if we follow their way of thinking.  So the SC spokesman is correct is his pronouncements; I don't agree with the palace's assessment (see http://bit.ly/igS65j if anybody is interested).  They want to have their cake and eat it too!

The case of the Ombudsman is similar but more obvious this time.  It's clear the executive wants her out.  By this time, she's already impeached by the lower house of Congress, save for a final vote by plenary.  Unfortunately for the ombudsman, the process is political rather than legal as voiced out by the Justice Committee chairman himself—at least he's honest.  Again the question may be asked, "are they removing her to give way to a friendlier ombudsman?"  Do they have friends and relatives with pending cases at her office?  They can't think differently for different circumstances.  And to add injury to this, the final judge will be the Senate—I don't know if they are fair and independent enough to give a just judgment.

But that is not my thinking.  No matter who appointed the officials (if proper procedures are met), we should let them be independent as can be, and let them finish their terms of office, unless there is real evidence of wrongdoing.

As I see the old faces in the Executive and Legislature who now are members of the majority block, I scratch my head in awe at the tyranny of the majority.  When they speak on moral grounds, I ask silently, "look, who's talking!"

This opinion is written in a positive light, pointing to some issues that need change.  I remain hopeful of having a responsive government, and as a good citizen, I am supportive of our present leaders.  But our leaders should do concrete positive service to the people, not just superficial motions that only divide the nation.  We need someone who works diligently outside of the media focus.  Leadership is not just about reading speeches, it's making the right and timely decisions that are generally fair, unitive and beneficial to all people.  Have a sense of urgency and fulfill your responsibilities and do your jobs.  Above all, the good leader is a servant, and both terms are interchangeable.

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.

He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law." (Isaiah 42.1-4 RSV)

I received the following email regarding prayer in the US and Canada, and I quoted it here entirely even though I'm from the Philippines because I guess we'll come to this stage sooner or later.  It seems faith is being marginalized in order to create a fully secular and atheistic order.  People must be free to pray and express their faith in a democratic environment where all rights are guaranteed... Prayer can't be banned!

Andy Rooney and Prayer

Point well said!  Some folks might be curious about some details mentioned... I agree with the Theory of Evolution but Darwin is not the theory, the theory is not Darwin (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution).  Change is constant, so the term "greatest nations of all" may not be true.

"See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.  Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." ~St. Paul (1 Thessalonians 5.15-18 RSV)

The 23^rd of August 1896 was a significant event in Philippine history, and regarded as the starting point of the Philippine revolution against imperial Spain.  It was known as the Cry of Pugad Lawin (Balintawak).  The hills of Balintawak, Quezon City are witnesses when Supremo Andrés Bonifacio and his comrades from the Katipunan tore their cédulas.  This event is annually commemorated as National Heroes' Day, a public holiday in the Philippines.

Fast forward 114 years, a rainy day on 23 August 2010, glaring on television: a hostage-taking incident ended in carnage!  Many victims bloodied, with 8 hostages dead--all Hong Kong nationals--making it an international incident.  The hostage-taker, an ex-cop erstwhile S/Insp. Rolando Mendoza likewise died with many bullet wounds.  He only had one demand: that of being reinstated again to the police ranks--very ironic, using crime as a ticket back!  I think the authorities should have given in to that demand, which is much easier to grant than if he asked for $10 million cash.  On-going investigations now say the government actually was doing that, but intervening events prevented that from pushing through, and they took a lot of time.

How could the authorities bungle such a thing?  It makes you feel angry and embarrassed, and think about that loss of life!

By law it's Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim who is tasked to solve the crisis, together with the local district commander, which was C/Supt. Magtibay.  While watching the events unfold on live TV, it's obvious the negotiations failed miserably, and they failed to second guess Mendoza.  While being questioned, the assistant negotiator said that he could have subdued Mendoza, but one standing order was "not to harm" the hostage-taker.  I don't have to mention that the assault team (SWAT) was unprepared!  With those many hours lost, they failed to put eyes inside the tourist bus.  It's very dangerous to blindly attack the enemy!  They are blaming the lack of equipment, but such electronic or fiberoptic gadgets are very cheap nowadays.  And why is the media broadcasting what the police are planning and doing?  They failed in the most basic things like crowd control, which includes the media.  I'm sure if the cops told the journalists to back off, they would have followed.

Other police personalities that should have asserted their authority were Dir. Santiago (Magtibay's superior and in-charge of the national capital) and D/Gen. Versoza, chief, Philippine National Police (PNP).  If C/Supt. Magtibay did not misread the situation, he could have asked the NCRPO to take over, and allow the more experienced Special Action Force (SAF) deal with the stubborn hijacker.  It could have been a different outcome.

Many other details happened but I guess it's best to wait for the official report, which I hope is credible and thorough.

Expert Notes

Charles Shoebridge, a security expert has made some observations on this issue.  He has worked for counter-terrorism operations in the British Army and the Scotland Yard.   Here are Shoebridge’s primary talking points on this event:

1. Determination — The first officers who tried to storm the bus were driven out by gunshots from the hostage-taker.  Assault squads must "be made up of very special people, specially trained and selected for their characteristics of courage, determination and aggression.  In this case they acted as 99% of the population would have, which was to turn round and get out. They didn't seem to have the necessary determination and aggression to follow the attack through."
2. Lack of equipment — The police spent a long time smashing the windows of the bus, whereas explosive charges (known as frame charges) would have knocked in windows and doors instantly. "They had no ladders to get through the windows. They smashed the windows but didn't know what to do next.  They almost looked like a group of vandals."  Their firearms were also inappropriate -- some had pistols, some had assault rifles.  Ideally they would have carried a short submachine gun, suitable for use in confined spaces.
3. Lost opportunity to disarm the gunman — There were numerous opportunities to restrain the gunman.  "The negotiators were so close to him, and he had his weapon hanging down by his side.  He could have been disabled without having to kill him."
4. Lost opportunity to shoot the gunman — The video of the drama also shows there were occasions when the gunman was standing alone, during the course of the day, and could have been shot by a sharpshooter.  "You are dealing with an unpredictable and irrational individual.  The rule should be that if in the course of negotiations an opportunity arises to end the situation decisively, it should be taken."  Either this possibility did not occur to the officers in charge, or they considered it and decided to carry on talking.
5. Satisfying the gunman’s demands — "I wondered why the authorities just didn't give in to all of his demands.  A promise extracted under force is not a promise that you are required to honor.  Nobody wants to give in to the demands of terrorists, but in a situation like this, which did not involve a terrorist group, or release of prisoners, they could have just accepted his demands.  He could be reinstated in the police -- and then be immediately put in prison for life for hostage taking."  The Philippine authorities did in fact give in to the gunman's demands, but too little, too late.  One message promised to review his case, while he wanted it formally dismissed.  A second message reinstating him as a police officer only arrived after the shooting had started.
6. Televised proceedings — The gunman was able to follow events on television, revealing to him everything that was going on around him.  This was a "crucial defect in the police handling."  The police should always consider putting a barrier or screen around the area, to shield the scene from the cameras and keep the hostage-taker in the dark.
7. No element of surprise — It was clear to the gunman what the police were doing at all times, not only because the whole incident was televised, but also because they moved "laboriously slowly".  The police did not distract him, so were unable to exploit the "crucial element of surprise".
8. Safeguarding the public — At least one bystander was shot, possibly because the public was allowed too close.  The bullet from an M16 rifle, as carried by the gunman, can travel for about a mile, so preventing any risk of injury would have been difficult, but a lot more could have been done.  "When you saw the camera view from above, it was clear there was little command and control of the public on the ground."
9. Using the gunman’s brother to negotiate — Relatives and close friends can be a double-edged sword.  While they may have leverage over the hostage-taker, what they are saying cannot be easily controlled.  In this case, the gunman's brother was included in the negotiations -- however, at a certain stage he became agitated and police started to remove him from the scene.  The gunman saw this on television, and became agitated himself.  According to one report he fired a warning shot.
10. Insufficient training — In some parts of the Philippines, such as Mindanao, hostage taking is not an uncommon occurrence, so the country has some forces that are well trained in the necessary tactics.  The group involved in the incident clearly was not.  After smashing the windows, one of the officers eventually put some CS gas inside, though "to what effect was not clear".  A unit involved in this work, needs to be "trained again and again, repeatedly practising precisely this kind of scenario".

Present State of the Philippine National Police

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is the police force of the Philippines, providing all law enforcement services throughout the country. It was activated in 1991, resulting from the merger of the Philippine Constabulary and the Integrated National Police.  It is a noble organization with noble goals.  As an organization, it has many problems, and many of these are self-inflicted.  It's good to ventilate these problems in public so as to find solutions.  Reform may be slow in coming, but as long as something is being done to solve the problems, the citizens should be content.  For an organization to be viable, it must learn from its mistakes, and rise immediately after every fall.

There are around 135,000 police personnel, allocated to administrative work and operations, with a work shift of 12 hours (not the usual 8 hours), and on-call 24/7.  Two thousand officers are assigned to secure VIPs, excluding those assigned to mayors and governors throughout the land which may come in hundreds.  The problem is that even the police's logistics are utilized especially by legislators and cabinet officials--vehicles, communications equipment, guns, etc.  The effective police-civilian ratio then becomes 1:900, very far from the ideal ratio in first-world countries.

This practice of using the cops as private security should end!  They should hire protection agents from private security agencies for this purpose.  PNP personnel should not be used as building security guards; logistics should not be touched by these VIPs.  But if the police would not give them security, their budgets will be delayed if not slashed, donations will not be given, and officers for promotion will be blocked.  Politics is to blame.

Perhaps another issue is the enforcement of vehicle traffic laws, again depleting needed personnel.  Managing the traffic situation is not primarily a police duty.  The various local governments (including the MMDA) should take care of this problem, in tandem with appropriate national offices, particularly the LTO and DOTC.  Obviously this is just the tip of the iceberg, and many more problems are bugging the organization.

And sometimes the problem lies in the lack of creativity of the different police commanders in different corners of the country.  The botched hostage crisis 2 weeks ago was blamed on the lack of appropriate equipment and training.  Money is available (just scrutinize their budget) but they didn't purchase the items.  Are the commanders just that lazy to conduct training exercises?  The Philippines is a vast training ground already.  Security people from first-world countries come here to train!  Obviously we have the knowhow, we just left our brain in the closet.

There is hope, there is change...

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." ~Joseph Chilton Pearce

After ignoring this most famous book for so long, maybe it's time to shake the dust off our bibles and begin reading it again.  Beginning with the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) is a good starting point for the historical context, although there is also that in John.  Personally, I like to commence with the gospel according to St. John because it exhibits a deeper theological insight.  Many are familiar with the "In the beginning..." of the Old Testament--in the book of Genesis.  So St. John now begins the gospel:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God; ³all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. ⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.

_⁹The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. ¹¹He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; ¹³who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. ¹⁵(John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") ¹⁶And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. (John 1.1-18 RSV)

The way this was capsulized and written points to its possible origin as an ancient song of the first Christians.  It looks like a summary or formula for those pioneer believers. This is the hidden treasure (cf. Matthew 13.44) mentioned in Christ's parables, treasure that we sell everything for just to acquire.  We'll understand the true nature of Jesus, full of grace and truth, misunderstood by the world but we ourselves see clearly.

If folks memorize the lyrics of many songs playing in the airwaves, might it not be asking a lot if these few verses are known by heart?

These last two weeks was a period of upheaval for our country, meeting 2 strong typhoons, and we are now living it their aftermath--great devastation, never before seen in history.  The image on the right shows a satellite image of Luzon (NMFC MODIS) more than 1 week after Typhoon Parma's first landfall; rivers are still swollen. Weather is fine with a ridge of high pressure area extending over Northern Luzon. The image at the extreme right shows a hemispheric satellite image (JTWC NMFC) demonstrating no current tropical cyclone warnings; TS Nepartak is moving northeast, while TS Parma is moving westward. A Low Pressure Area (LPA) however is seen about 700 km east of Catanduanes island. Hopefully this fine weather continues.

As of this writing, the combined figures are mind-boggling.  About 1.3 million families were affected, translating to about 6.6 million individual persons, or 7% of the national population.  Of these affected people, 952 lost their lives, and many are still missing.  Thousands of houses (about 66,000) were destroyed.  The total damage to agriculture, infrastructure and many utilities amounted to more than P15 Billion or roughly about $320 Million, or about 1% of the national budget for 2009.  To restore electricity, some areas will have to wait at least a month. The socioeconomic devastation will now be slowly felt my all, more so for the poor.  In many places floods are everpresent; some estimates say floods will recede in 3 months, especially in areas near the lakes and rivers.

Incidentally the Gospel passage yesterday (Sunday) talks about giving away "all you have" for the kingdom.  Many people lost everything (albeit by force of nature) and many more gave away some treasure for their relief, which has to continue for a long time.  Let's do whatever we can to help our neighbors rebuild their lives.  Relief from all groups is welcome, be they private, or government; the private component may cease (hopefully not), but the government portion must continue and be sustained indefinitely.  If anything has to be done, it should be done, and forget politics.

Part of the gospel goes...

And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." (Mark 10.21-27 RSV)

The Philippines, particularly Luzon was recently devastated by two powerful typhoons--Ketsana (Ondoy) and Parma (Pepeng)--leaving behind a lot of miserable people, needing humongous relief, mainly food, clothing, medical care, and shelter.  The image on the right shows typhoon Parma almost stationary above North Luzon, soaking it, being followed by supertyphoon Melor (went to Japan).  Obviously there is a need to give relief packages to them, and people who actually do the handing of the items.  Some popular personalities however said things on air that prompted this writing.  One says that people, particularly politicians and actors, ought not to show their faces while handing the packages, or perhaps not to give their names when donating.  Please, let's not criticize people for doing good!  Let's not put malice where there is none.  The faint of heart might lose interest in the whole thing just because of such idle talk.  They somehow remind us of the following biblical passage:

"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6.1-4 RSV)

They do seem to have a point, right?  But then turn one chapter back and read...

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5.14-16 RSV)

Now this is the reason why private interpretation of scripture does not always work.  The two passages seem to be contradictory at first glance; note that both came from St. Matthew's gospel.  But there is no contradiction!  It boils down to the real intent of the person.  If the real intention was to be seen doing good, then the act of gift-giving is hypocritical--there'll be no reward from God.  For politicians, it is indirect vote-buying at the least.  But if the person goes to the aid stations with pure intentions, then the presence of cameras is incidental only.  So folks who condemn these people need to shut up; nobody can really read minds, nobody can see the intent of people.  In conclusion, I leave this passage for our own meditation:

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you." (Matthew 7.1-6 RSV)

Let's continue being neighbors to everyone; let's rise again after this fall.  Think positive, walang iwanan!

About 12 hours ago, slightly weakened Typhoon Parma (local name: Pepeng) was located at about 360 km NE of Manila, moving 315° at 7 knots (13 kph), in the general direction of Isabela province Saturday (image 1).  A multispectral satellite image obtained now shows the further weakened typhoon accelerating to 22 knots (41 kph) moving NW, located just east of Isabela (image 2, both from NMFC/JTWC).  It's obvious by now that typhoon Ketsana's (Ondoy) fury will not be repeated in Metro Manila, and other nearby provinces.  Brace yourselves, people from Isabela, Cagayan and other adjacent provinces. Incidentally, one knot (nautical miles per hour) is equal to exactly 1.852 kph.

Kudos to members of the Police (PNP) and Armed Forces (AFP) as they are rarely mentioned in the media, nevertheless they are the unsung heroes.  While many others are also giving relief and assitance, they are really the frontliners; before politicians and actors come, they have already cleared the way.  For responding to the call for help from our countrymen in dire need, I also pat the backs of many folks.  The work is not over (may continue indefinetely) but it's okay to pause and think about this once in a while.  To all: keep up the good work!  To our very much affected people: keep the faith, keep the hope, things may become worse before it becomes better. May God be with you and all!

On a related note, some sort of order must be implemented in the relief areas.  Relief giving should be an art: there's a minimal structure that should be there before distribution is allowed.  A few unruly people must not cause anarchy; people can't kill just to get aid!  In crisis or not, discipline must be maintained.  The elderly and children can't fight it out against these rouges.

"One great form of wealth is kindness. It does not diminish no matter how much you give. It increases the more it is shared."

After 24 hours and using the previous parameters, the shaded area now is forecast to include the entire Luzon island and Samar; it is affecting Samar by this writing.  Using NMFC/JTWC (mtsat 2009-10-01 05:30), we can see the extent of Typhoon Parma (locally named Pepeng); the associated clouds are now covering the entire country, especially the eastern sector.  The eye of storm is located about 460 km east of Samar island, moving in the general direction of Northern Luzon (image on right).

The latest image (left) demonstrates supertyphoon Parma (2009-10-01) with maximun winds of 220 kph, gusts reaching 260 kph, and moving NW at 22 kph (http://www.wunderground.com).  It is category 4 (up to 250 kph) until it makes landfall in Northern Luzon on Saturday.  Superimposed is the satellite image showing the extent of the typhoon.

Let us hope for a non-destructive outcome, or better still, for it to change course and dissipate away from land.

After being battered by tropical storm (TS) Ketsana last Saturday where at least 240 people died and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes (as of this writing), another TS is coming--Parma (19W).  Its effects are expected to be felt this weekend; northern Luzon is a possible landfall (NMFC/JTWC).  As many more weather disturbances are expected after this, let's all pray for a tamer storm.

When great things happen that put the Philippines in a good light, people would instinctively exclaim "I'm proud to be a Filipino!"  "I was hiding my head in a hole until this thing happened, what a wonderful feeling!"  Many such things come to mind: the restoration of democracy through a peaceful revolution in 1986, the triumph of Lea Salonga in the music and entertainment scene, victories of many sportsmen and women in their fields, especially for Manny Pacquiao lately, and many others...

When bad things apparently happen, these same folks profess to be ashamed of their nationality.  Surely, bad things always happen, and we should do our part in stopping them, or at least mitigating their effects.  But our national pride never fades; it goes on and on.

Perhaps it is similar to what happened (it may still be happening) to the Church in the past few years.  I guess everybody remembers the clerical scandals involving minors.  Many Catholics lost their faith.  They failed to see the forest because of the rotten trees.  You know what?  I'm proud to be a Catholic.  I might include here the politicking of many bishops and priests--I'm very disappointed with them, but I'm still a proud Catholic.  [Obviously, pride as used here pertains to its positive meaning, not its negative, being the first among the 7 capital sins.]

I'm proud to be a Filipino, no matter what!

At 3:18 am last Saturday (1 August), Madam Corazon "Cory" Aquino, Philippine president from 1986-1992, passed away after a long bout with colon cancer.  She is rightly called the Icon of Democracy from the recent past as she led the country out of a protracted one-man rule, "introducing" peaceful revolution via "people power".  It may not be acknowledged by western historians but this manner of government change started it all--dominoes started tumbling!  Remember Poland?  This was followed by the eastern European countries, and also the former U.S.S.R.!  The late Pope John Paul II incidentally had a hand there too.

February 1986 was really very memorable for many folks over here.  As Mr. Ferdinand Marcos (ruling president at the time) was preparing to take a "new" mandate after "winning" the snap elections, a military coup was simmering.  A violent uprising being hatched very high in the defence establishment.  This plot was however uncovered and many officers were detained, and later presented to the public.  Because of this, Misters Juan Ponce-Enrile (Defence Minister) and Fidel Ramos (Vice Chief of Staff) with their loyal followers, jumped the gun, fortifying their defences at the headquarters building, and shrewdly calling a press conference about their captured colleagues and their plan, hoping to gain public support.  While they attracted a few, this provided for the "two fish and five loaves" for what will happen next.

When then Archbishop of Manila Jaime Cardinal Sin was informed, he called for "people power".  People flocked the areas of concern to protect the "rebels".  For some reason, I wasn't concerned about these things, and there was no sense of urgency or danger.  Perhaps the millions of people who went at EDSA were also unafraid.  Perhaps there was safety in numbers.  Perhaps as Filipinos it's in our nature to be fatalistic and just go go go!  I guess religion also played a role--the government soldiers still didn't want to massacre millions just to protect a few people.  The rest was history.  Cory was installed as the eleventh president of the country, and the first female to take the post.

There was euphoria everywhere, and it took some time to put things back as before.  That was a great achievement by all, and particularly for the new president.  While I maintain my admiration for Tita Cory (fondly called by many), there are many things that could have been done to translate this revolution to benefit the majority of our countrymen who are poor.  [What could have been done is anyone's guess; positives and much negatives in her administration--better discussed in another post.  Because of this, people should not overdo the lip-service for the fallen leader.  Let's give her the respect and not use this for personal or political purposes.  I placed this side note because Filipinos have a penchant for turning anything to politics.]

President Cory Aquino... farewell!  Now you're with Ninoy, your spouse and our hero, and there's no longer any pain from the illness.  Now you can do much more for the country from there.

Four months has elapsed since my last entry, and many things happened, including socio-political and economic developments here and abroad. While these are important, they often become so boring that we sometimes forget their significance. We never run out of doomsayers who always see the negative in things. We see politicians and "pundits" creating ghosts, and then becoming frightened by them. Mere speculations end up in front pages; lies being repeated several times and then admitted as gospel truth. They are asking, "what is truth" but they already have answers! Religious events become politicized, and politics become sacralized. People who ought not to be believed are put in a pedestal and almost worshipped! This can go on forever.

More than a week ago (June 25), the famous singer Michael Jackson passed away for a still unknown etiology at a young age of 50. Inspite of the numerous negative comments, Jackson was a great man for his circumstances, mainly out of his control. They focus on his defects, but ain't we all imperfect?

Let's celebrate his musical genius, his songs, his contribution to the entertainment part of our lives. I remember his songs during those good old days--Ben, I'll Be There, One Day In Your Life and the ubiquitous Christmas songs Give Love On Christmas Day and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. I still remember the vinyl album Thriller, with all those famous tracks. I'm always entertained by his unique dance steps, perhaps similar to what magicians do in their routines. Many performers mimicked such moves but no one gets them as rhythmic as the original.

There are many things I would like to say but it's early morning already. But before retiring, I'm sending my best wishes to his soul... Goodbye Mike!

Less than a week ago (March 6), a very popular music/rap icon passed away after a painful and protracted bout against leukemia (AML). He's the forever young Francis Magalona, a.k.a. Francis M--his 44 years looks like just 22--that baby-faced. His fight against this kind of stubborn cancer is well-publicized. Many people unrelated to him, including me felt the loss, as if losing a brother. This incident made me revisit our old friend--death.

Death is a friend, but we don't seek it, it seeks us. It becomes an enemy if we actively long to see him. It's a mystery why some go through a lot of pain and suffering before he comes. It comes to some with no pain at all. Don't get me wrong, euthanasia is an abominable sin; as Christians, we accept the suffering and pain with its coming, as if it replaces our purgatory.

We should not dread death. I believe in God's mercy and we will surely have an opportunity to ask for mercy, only God knows when. One nanosecond on earth may represent a very long time in that instant when mercy is offered. Besides, death is the door to life, life of glory up there. "...Beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 20-21 RSV)."

Yesterday, a nephew asked me about the meaning of some words he's trying to read from the computer screen. It's in fancy fonts and written in Spanish. In decades past, children were familiar with Spanish. That's not the point anyway...

The problem phrase in Spanish was: "Cinco Diablo". It pertains to the title of the music album of a certain band he's scrutinizing. I told him it stands for "five devil" [maybe that's five devils], and warned him of the dangers of being attracted to such things--the name might become a reality--meaning the devil might influence him sooner or later. It's laughable I have to admit, but who knows? It's similar to playing with ouija boards, e.g.; dangerous to the soul.

Then I asked the name of the band. I was surprised the group's name was "Saliva". What? I'm wondering, if such are the band name and album titles, the lyrics would also be garbage. I then intended to speak to his parents about this seemingly innocent stuff. That I'm going to do, but lest I forget, at least many of you readers out there get to read it first.

What is it about these stupid music that kids like? Worse, it might be something about bad or even "evil" lyrics. And the effect? I can only guess!

Please investigate these kinds of music! Let's guide our children, and make the good, the holy, and the moral attractive to them...

I few months ago I posted a lightning chess game in which I lost, and then proceeded to write about the irrationality of lightning chess (see previous blog post). Well, some people agreed but some didn't, and so this post. There has to be another side to this thing. I got some insights from Sarah (at Chess.com), and I'm putting a piece of her mind here (with her permission):

"...Basically, it's doing what you already know, but by instinct and without deep analysis. I think to believe that even lightning is just mindless moving of pieces is shaky ground. Of course, it can be, but doesn't have to be. Many great players were great blitz and/or lightning players--Tal, Fischer, Fine, Petrosian, Korchnoi, Bronstein, Spassky, Taimanov, Dzindzichashvili, Tal's uncle Nezhmetdinov, Svidler and, of course, Chepukaitis. None of these players made many random moves. But time is an important factor, maybe the most important one, everything else being equal, since the clock ends the game for sure.

"So successful blitz/lightning players have well rehearsed opening repertoirs. They also often use pet lines that are more complex than they are sound. They know their traps, but don't waste time on material since endgames are rare and usually flawed. And they learn to attack, to pose problems and to offer choices (to make their opponent waste time, of course).

"Time is your friend and your enemy. The best players keep on its friendly side.

"The point is, that it's not really chess. Chess requires a great investment of time, energy and ego. It's just a frivolous, fun thing. You can lose 10 in a row in 30 min. or an hour and shrug it off.

"The only ways to get good at lightning or blitz is to either have a natural talent, a la Morphy, or play thousands of games at those speeds.

"On the other side of the coin, someone once asked Botvinnik if he ever played blitz. He said he played it once, on a train ride, and didn't like it."

I changed my mind since then. I don't think I can say more... thanks Sarah!

This blitz game I played more than a year ago (see diagram); at least I won this one.

PGN Diagram

It's little Tommy's fifth birthday yesterday.  The photo shows him blowing the candle, with cousin Ling-Ling looking on.

With the looming economic meltdown, such occasions must continue for the sake of our children.  Some people say that there'll be no Christmas because of difficult times.  No, this kind of mentality must be stopped!  We might say that it's the quality that is important, not the quantity of food and drinks.  Let the spirit of love prevail always!

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18.3-6 RSV)