Climbing a Tree

When was the last time you wished for something really hard? Having been schooled in a Catholic school all my life, I believed in the power of prayers. As a child, I would pray for trivial things like a new toy, to go somewhere fun or to get high grades in school. It's been years since I prayed for something really hard. This is not because I am losing faith but perhaps I really didn't want something as much as my heart desired.

Each one of us has our own faith depending on our own religion. It doesn't matter to whom you believe in. What matters is that you know that there is someone out there whom you can count on in times when matters are out of your hands. However, God helps only those who help themselves. It is not enough to just pray and pray and not do your part. It is not enough to be cocky and complacent. Laziness is not at all tolerated by Him.

In achieving our dreams in life, there are many pathways to take. It is usually not a straight line. You may need to go a step backward in order to move forward. Just like in climbing a tree, there are many ways to do it. Having brains is not enough. Having guts alone is also not enough. You need a mixture of both to reach the top combined with a lot of prayers to sustain you when things are getting tough. Surely, with this combination, you would reach the top of the tree.

Bits and Pieces

All Soul's Day passed and each was one was reminded of their departed loved ones. People flocked to the cemetery bringing flowers, candles & food. It is also the time when families get reunited since this is a holiday and mostly, people went back to their own provinces. But I wonder, in the midst of all the fun & noise, can one truly remember and pray for their deceased family? My parents are both gone now and I never visited them on November 1. I would rather go on an ordinary day when there are less people. In that way, I can pray for them in tranquility and in solitude.

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I'm sure most of you know already that Joseph "Erap" Estrada was already pardoned by the ever powerful and mighty President Arroyo. This did not come as a surprise to me anymore since I wrote about this in my previous post that a pardon was seen forthcoming. The administration justifies its decision by saying the man has repented already with 6 years in house arrest in Tanay province. But, did Erap really repented? It isn't forgiveness he wants but freedom. So how could you forgive someone who has not truly repented? Well, all things said, it is only in the Philippines where corruption is tolerated with a lot of icing on it.

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Recently watched 30 Days of Night and it was freaking scary! Initially, the movie was slow but later on it switched gears and there was lot of screaming. As the title implies, it was 30 days of pure evil and terror that one would fervently wish for the 30 days to come to an end. I will not tell you details of the story so as not to spoil the fun but if you are keen on scary films then this one is definitely for you.

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Pure Madness

Imagine this, you go to the mall with your family or friends to eat and have a good time but later, one of you or worst, all of you ends up dead. It may sound incredulous but it did happen.

The recent Glorietta 2 bombing that occurred last October 19 was so shocking. Watching the survivors' recount their experience would make anyone thankful that he or she was not there at that time. Bombing a mall is just like shooting anyone in random. It could have been you and me. You see, going to the mall is one of the most popular past time of Filipinos. We just have so much time to spare that we would go to the mall any given time of the day. It's not just a place to shop and dine but now, it is also a place where you can pay your bills, exercise, meet and conduct business meetings, get a massage, leave your kids to play while you do errands and more. In short, it is a place where everybody goes and where everybody thinks they are safe. Or so we thought it to be.

Feeling safe or having a preconceived notion about it enables any human being to function normally. But what happens if this feeling of safety is threatened? Is this what our society is all about now? The architect of this evil act will never be able to justify what he did. There could be no valid reason for this.

Pure madness. This is just what it is all about.

Corruption at its Best

The news headlines recently featured Father Ed Panlilio showing the Php 500,000.00 given to him by a nameless palace employee. Father Ed, as he is more known, is the current governor of Pampanga. The money was handed over in a small paper bag. He was told that he could use the money for whatever purpose he deems will be appropriate for his constituents. The way it was given and the absence of formality suitable for disbursing government funds was indeed questionable. One can easily assume that it might be bribe money. But, hey, what were the Palace officials thinking? Bribe a priest? Well, they could try... after all, he is still human. Unfortunately, it didn't work and Father Ed exposed it to the media.

In the province of Pampanga alone, the amount of money lost in taxes was so huge. Imagine, almost 1 million pesos of taxes lost everyday during the time of Governor Mark Lapid. This was discovered when Father Ed seated 4 months ago. The total taxes being remitted now is a gigantic leap from the previous collections done 4 years ago. Whew!

The degree of corruption in our country is so intense that one could understand why politicians would kill come election time. No wonder they would do everything, as in everything, to hang on to power. Philippine politics is not about servitude. It has become a business, a family business, which is handed down from one generation to another.

Sadly, it is the ordinary Filipino who is getting nailed deeper and deeper into poverty. The fact remains that we are a poor country because of corruption. It seems that this ugly word is so ingrained in our system. However, I do not blame only our leaders. We, the Filipino people are also to blame because we let things happen and we permit things to be the way they are. We quickly forget and act as if nothing happened.

So what will be the solution to cure all this? A cynic once said, "Annihilate the Filipino people and start a new breed."