I Am Me! December 25, 2008

Reflecting About Contentment December 21, 2008

Has man gotten too greedy to resort to sneaking behind an unknowing person and stab him without warning so he could get his greedy hands on the single piece of bread the unsuspecting person holds in his hand?

Has man’s covetousness transcended from what’s appealing to the flesh and the senses to what could make the pocket heavier and the wallet thicker notwithstanding the fact that in this selfish pursuit, there’s a likelihood that everything unpleasant that’s being sowed will boomerang any moment and instead of hitting the innocent target, the weapon thrown actually ricochets to smack and damage one’s own face?

Has man’s unquenchable thirst for wealth and more wealth made him more of the beast that he was created to dominate and tame than the considerate overseer of everything glorious and good that God created on earth?

Has man’s gluttonous and narcissistic nature been made more uncontrollable by the devil  that he forgets how it is to pause for a while and contemplate if  the God he claims to worship, praise and glorify is really still the same God reigning supreme in his heart and not the horned and red-eyed liar?

We’ve been blessed by God in countless ways yet we always fall short of being appreciative of everything we have been blessed with.   It’s because we measure our blessings with how many appliances we own, how much we have in our bank account, how many children we have sent to college, how many cars we have purchased or how big and magnificent the house we have bought or built.  We almost always equate success with what’s materially measurable, but failed to really take in that what’s more intensely appealing and worthy of thankfulness are the intangible gifts: good health, inner peace, harmonious family, fruitful career.  When we feel envious of our neighbors, it isn’t because we don’t have the things they own, but because we fail to assess just how much of the non-material gifts we have been endowed with.

In our attempt to meet the drive of achieving and earning more, we no longer care if we hurt others along the way — we don’t show concern for a relative whom we have knowingly robbed of their only source of livelihood because we only think of our own insatiable appetite for wealth, power and prestige. How lowly a life to live — and yet, these kind of people pretend to be kind-hearted individuals who genuinely care for others — the wolves in sheep’s clothing ready to devour an unsuspecting ignoramus. It’s sad to think that there are times when some people driven by selfish motives feel the need to degrade and harm family and friends if they happen to get in the way of their mercenary plan.

Well, most of these people succeed in their scheming and selfish means, but my gut feeling tells me it isn’t God who helped them get everything ironed out.  Does God allow it? Yes, He does — but who ultimately gets to pay the price? It’s still the selfish person who doesn’t get content with everything God blessed him with despite the evident affluence and prestige.  And since He doesn’t get content, God sends him more — cancer, hypertension, diabetes, psychological defects, and many more.

Anything sneaky and underhanded that’s done against a fellow mortal will rebound.  Anything sought after that isn’t according to the light and truth of God will not be found.  There will always be a price tag to everything done that isn’t according to God’s righteousness and oftentimes, it’s a price tag that spells disease, marital problems, juvenile delinquent children, and more….

Isn’t it said that the richest person isn’t the one who has the most but the one who is content with the  little he possesses?

And yes, this one’s for you… whoever you are. Merry Christmas!

Oasis of Love? December 14, 2008

The annual Oasis of Love will soon be held once again —

Oasis of Love — what a nice picture to conjure. An oasis is a presence of water and plants in a desert. So an oasis of love must be something which transcends the spiritual realm. It must be a refuge of those whose faith have dried up by reintroducing it to the real fountain of LOVE himself — GOD. I wonder if the Oasis of Love was able to live up to this ideal….

I have been employed here for six years and within that period of time; I haven’t been to any Oasis of Love gatherings. Oh, there were always those “checking of attendance” chuchus and “being asked to explain why one did not attend” blahblahs, but who cares? I am Catholic, but I haven’t made myself a member of the Oasis of Love — neither do I have plans of being a member in the coming days. My school head says it’s compulsory, I’m sorry but I beg to disagree.

Why?

The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines declares: The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable. (Article II, Section 6), and, No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights. (Article III, Section 5).

There’s more …

Article 2 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines declares separation of church and state. Article 3 forbids the government from passing any law concerning religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, guarantees free exercise of religion and forbids the use of any religious test for public office. Churches and religious institutions are tax-exempt. No public money may be spent in support of any religion. The teaching of religious classes in public schools is permitted with the written consent of the parent so long as provided there is no cost to the government.

My non-Catholic colleagues and I plan to report to school on that day, since it is a working day. But with what I have read from the Constitution, is it really fair to hold it in a school day when DepEd is a government agency and it is a religious activity?

I am not against religion and moral and spiritual growth. I just hate seeing those saintly looking __________  gathered together —

The reason for the reaction started years ago …

I remember when as an adolescent living in Ozamiz City, there were religious barangay organizations known as GSK’s (Gagmayng Simbahananong Katilingban). Each week, these small groups would gather for prayer meetings. But instead of the prayers and reflections, instead of God’s glorification, the attendees would criticize the members who weren’t present. The practice went on for a few months … then I started refusing to attend. I couldn’t see any point in hypocrisy, I am sorry. I know God doesn’t enjoy it one bit, either.

Anyway, no matter how much other people claim godliness and religiousness, in the end, the best judge of character, good works and clean heart will never be those religious bigwigs and the spiritual trying hards who talk and act as though they are the most learned (pronounce: ler-ned) where spirituality and religion are concerned, but the God of Fairness, Justice and Love.

I am not religious…never have been, never will be. But I can boast of my faith. Being religious doesn’t necessarily mean faithfulness anyway and faithfulness can’t also be manifested by being religious….

For My Gift From God December 13, 2008

I still remember clearly the “single years” — my years of hoping and praying that MR. RIGHT will show himself before me all garbed in his “knight in shining armour” gear. I envisioned him to be my protector; someone to shield me from everything that would cause me harm.

Along the course of that lonely and seemingly hopeless searches, there were those “trees” along the path —readily promising shade and comfort when looked at from a considerable distance but really offering nothing at all — a mirage of the happiness so much desired….

My illusions had been shattered, my heart broken into millions of tiny fragments. But I have always moved on, picking up all the broken bits and pieces and slowly mending my disillusioned and tattered self esteem… always holding on to hope…

Then from out of the blue, my prince appeared —just when I thought everything was bleak and dreary, he came to me bringing roses in the rain and making me believe in love all over again…

So, for the love of my life, I write these lines…

Plo,

You are the greatest blessing that God has given me. We have been through so much and will still go through so much, I know. But as long as we hold each other’s hands and not let go, as long as we believe in the strength of our love for each other, and as long as we keep JESUS the glue that binds us together, we will make it through every storm towards another sunshine….

If there ever was a situation that I am thankful for, it was knowing you in my moment of deepest despair and you changed my life in many ways. If there ever was a day which I am thankful for, it was was that fateful day when you took me in your life and made me your wife…

You are more than just my destiny…you, to me, are the gift that God has wrapped especially for me…

Thank you for staying a gift through all these years. I am happy having you…and I am not even through unwrapping the carefully wrapped package of your person which is slowly revealed to me each moment we’re together. And I tell myself that God must love me so much to have blessed me with a special person…a husband, a best friend, a confidante, a brother, a lover….all wrapped in a beautiful present called EFREN PALACIO…

Jing

For Andrea December 13, 2008

You have grown

From seeds unseen by human eyes

Out of love you were made…

A love which spans the infinite

And stretches across vast seas

A love that has given meaning

To two meaningless lives

You have grown

Slowly taking form

Like rosebuds opening

With dewdrops on each cheek

You are wanted

To be part of these lives who care

You are God’s precious gift

You have grown

From the helpless infant you had been

And continues to grow

With every passing minute

Every swiftly passing day

You are planted in God’s garden

Cared for, loved and treasured

You’ll grow up

To face all odds with courage

With love in your heart

To outweigh all pains and sorrow

For I have prayed

That God be the wind beneath your wings

To be your source of strength

Till eternity

I AM ME! December 12, 2008

I love these lines from the song ” You’ve Got A Friend”

Hey ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend
When people can be so cold
They’ll hurt you and desert you
They’ll take your soul if you let them
But don’t you let them

I am me, nothing more, nothing less.

I think for myself, decide for myself and speak for myself. If I agree, I say so. If I don’t, I say so or just go my way and leave no trace at all.

I don’t necessarily want everyone to agree with me or take my side on issues because basically, they are just issues to contend with — to face as a demon to be fought or an eye opening saga which would ultimately lead to betterment of the self.

I don’t do things because it’s the “in” thing. I do everything for a friend but never to the extent of losing my self respect and losing perspective of the things I believe in.

I wage my own war and fight it to the finish knowing there is no other way for the war to be won.

I stand for my ideals no matter how feeble they may appear to others because they’re an extension of the person that I am.

I may not be the best Christian… it’s arrogance to do so for only God can rightfully judge my faith. But I believe in a God who is just and fair. And I believe that only God brings to me those blessings which are my fair share.

I couldn’t boast of anything for they aren’t mine — they’re blessings. Circumstances have conspired to make me what I am and therefore, I remain as I am.

And….

I am your friend.

I can be your friend, but in every friendship I have, I can only give what I have…I can only be me.

If you want a friend who speaks her mind and is not afraid to create ripples in the process, by all means keep me — even if I am not first prize material. But if you want someone whose ideals you can easily bend to satisfy your every whim, by all means dump me…

I might be hurt, but like everything else, the sting will subside. In a day or two, I can move on and say, “I thank God for the friendship I have known with you.”

I might be bitter, but no… I should not be feeling that way because a friend respects another friend’s point of view.

I remain to be me… for there’s no other way that I can ever be.

SEX EDUCATION INTEGRATION IN THE BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM: MY PERSPECTIVE December 12, 2008

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman’s explanatory statement of the controversial Reproductive Health Bill of 2007 states that one of the overriding problems that bedevil the Philippines is an extremely huge population. It is along this context that the youth are being placed in the middle of the country’s dissecting table once again to serve as another unwilling specimen in its trial and error attempt at finding a solution to the seemingly irresolvable problem of the rapidly escalating rate of population growth. In a desperate attempt to turn population growth around, the controversial House Bill suggests that sex education be integrated in the curriculum from Grade V to Fourth Year. The conservative religious majority of the country rallied against its implementation with the reason that rapid population growth is but secondary to graft and corruption as the cause of poverty and underdevelopment .This same group of people claims that exposing the Filipino youth early in life to stark facts about sex and sexuality through the integration of sex education in public education will add to the burden and not help solve it.

It seems that the whole community has been talking and discussing about this matter. It might even be that House Bill No. 17 will be passed into law sooner than expected. Various reactions from different sectors have been heard loud and clear, but have the people heard any feedback from the youth who are the ones directly concerned? Are they not allowed to voice their opinions in matters like these just because they are considered young and immature even when the issue directly concerns them? It seems that the Filipino youth have been cocooned too unnecessarily — made ignorant and oblivious even to things that concern them because of this belief that youth is synonymous with ignorance, immaturity and irresponsibility.

While it is traditionally ideal that sex education should begin and be inculcated at home, we have also observed that the present Filipino home is no longer the picture of what is ideally acceptable.

Let’s take this all too common scenario as an example:

“Fifteen years ago, a teenage girl was gotten pregnant by another teenager. Since Philippine society subtly demands that pregnancy, no matter the circumstance, is a problem that could only be solved by a hasty marriage, the teenaged girl and boy were forcibly wed with no idea whatsoever of the responsibilities that come with the marriage. Being no more than children themselves, they grope their way around rearing their children in ways that are most often not beneficial. The meddling parents of both husband and wife intervene creating a more confusing environment for the child.”

Sad to say, this is the most common circumstance of the contemporary Filipino family. We have dysfunctional families rearing up confused children. Religion demands that the home should ideally be the inculcator of good moral values, the key indoctrinator of responsible parenthood, but if the home couldn’t even introduce civility to a child — if the parents are the very same persons who paint pictures of irresponsibility, is it still best to hold on to what’s ideal even when what’s ideal isn’t observable anymore?

Perhaps, the government, in its desperation to slow down population growth, has seen the school as a means toward uplifting the living standards of Juan de la Cruz by injecting into its curriculum the very controversial Sex Education; hence, the controversial House Bill which triggered a lot of negative responses from so-called moralists. But if these concerned people have really been vigilant, if everyone would shed hypocrisy in exchange for practicality, they could have observed that Sex Education has long been injected in Biology when teachers discuss the reproductive system and in MAPEH when sexually transmitted diseases are taken up. Why the big fuss when studies have repeatedly shown that reproductive health education leads to responsible behavior, higher levels of abstinence and later initiation of sexuality? If this is the case, why stunt it? Why prohibit its implementation if it promises something beneficial? Is the case really for the protection and ultimate good of the youth or is it simply a saving grace for all lapses that have been committed over and over again by the people who have direct control over the moral development of the youth?

The good effects of Sex Education are even greater when parents can talk honestly with their children about sexual and reproductive matters, so they say — but is this the case? Parents who should have been the key people to make the youth distinguish right from wrong are the very same people who make children ignorant of the stark and naked truths because most often than not, foolish and inopportune conservatism almost always elicit the response of anger when a child asks a curious question about the “birds and the bees”.

While we would like to hold on to the ideals of Maria Clara even in today’s modern society, we also need to recognize that it is imperative that reproductive health and sexuality education should start early among the young people because reproductive health and sexuality education seeks to assist young people in understanding a positive view of the reproductive system and human sexuality, provide them with information and skills about taking care of their reproductive and sexual health, and help them make sound decisions now and in the future.

If now isn’t the right time for Sex Education to make its grand entrance, when?

Responsible Parenthood??? December 12, 2008

Halfway through the priest’s homily a few months ago as  I was attending mass, I felt the urge to get out.  If you think it’s the homily that made me want to get out, the answer is yes.

It’s all about the bill in Congress entitled the Responsible Parenthood Act of 2007 and how it is supposed to punish the poor for having more children…that pregnancy, if this bill will be approved,( with the statement that contraceptives will be considered essential medicines), shall be considered a disease. That contraception is not pro-life and so on and so forth.

Of course, all of us share different views and I am not against the Church on this matter because the viewpoint of one priest doesn’t necessarily have to mean the view of the entire priesthood.  In a manner where clash of opinions and ideas do arise, it is also expected that there will also be some forms of disagreement that will arise, but hopefully, something that wouldn’t lead to social discord.

Personally, I view the Responsible Parenthood Act as a desperate means of the legislators to control the population explosion.  I know it is not morally upright, but economically, it is the most sound solution.  We are faced with a situation where diminishing resources are to be divided among the millions of citizens.  Food shortages, unemployment, rising prices of commodities — these problems are faced by everyone everyday, but the average Filipino doesn’t even realize that these problems have something to do with the population boom.

The priest further stated that some provisions in the Responsible Parenthood Act are good and he stressed on which he thought were detrimental to the “poor”, so he said. As I listened to him state his views on the issue, I realized the bias to suit and justify the claim of the church.  He said that because the poor couldn’t produce quality citizens, they are, therefore, not allowed to have children. I couldn’t believe that the legislators meant for the point to be taken that way and I am not sold out to his justification because everyday, being a teacher in a public high school, I see the ill effects of irresponsible parenthood — parents bringing into the world children that they couldn’t even support.— children who have potentials, but who have become despondent and hopeless because of the dysfunctional family they are in. Those who are well off have lesser children compared with the poor who has an average of 5 children whom they can’t even send to college and whose necessities they couldn’t even meet.  I have students who come in late for school because they have to fish for their daily consumption — students who need to absent themselves  from their classes because they have to harvest coconut, harvest corn, harvest rice, do menial jobs so they can help support their family because their father is a drunkard and their mother is always gambling.  I have a student who, just this month, dropped out of school because she has gotten pregnant.  I have had students in the past who graduated pregnant.

This isn’t an issue about whether we are pro-life or anti-life.  I am pro-life, naturally and I consider abortion a great sin.  But it is also a sin to bring in children into the world only to make them suffer.  I am not in favor of contraceptives either. In fact, I am not using contraceptives — because I have a responsible husband who plans for the welfare of the children that we bring into this world.

The priest made a big issue about the fact that sex education should be introduced starting from Grade V until Fourth Year.  He further claims that because it is a subject, then, it must need a practicum.  I couldn’t help but blow my top while listening to him.  Of course, it isn’t meant that way — he just stated it that way so that Catholics will have a reason to fight the bill. For me, it is a necessary means to educate our youth about human sexuality and reproduction because many have gotten pregnant and many have gotten their girlfriends impregnated because they had the wrong information about the matter.  When children ask about sexuality, the natural reaction of conservative parents is to scold and nag and brand their children as prostitutes or something of the sort — or we mislead them by talking about the birds and the bees.  The result is that, some young girls who get pregnant have the wrong notion that they couldn’t get pregnant the first time they have sex and so on… too many fallacies that need to be corrected.

The priest stated that the best way to educate children and to keep them from engaging in fornication is through inculcation of Christian values by the parents, but I haven’t seen this happening.  Gone are those days when virginity and chastity among girls are most revered and upheld.  Gone are those days when the boys are the ones doing the chasing.  And gone are those days when our girls are kept within the safety of the home when dusk falls. I have seen this happening everyday because I see this in my students.  I have seen the morality of young women crumbling down to an irreparable state.  So who’s mistake is that?  The mistake of the legislators again?  We are counting on the parents, but unfortunately, it’s the parents who  have become instrumental in destroying the morality of their children.  We have unfortunately come to a stage where we have proved these line of a song:  THERE’S A DANGER IN LOVING SOMEBODY TOO MUCH.   Parents have given children too much freedom, have spared them the pain of struggling to learn to do things on their own, have provided every whim and luxury to the point of raising shallow children who have much knowledge on earthly things but whose spirituality is lacking… I could go on and on, but I know it’s the only thing I can do. What hurts me is the fact that I could be doing the very same mistakes these parents have done because I am an absentee parent myself.

I also have children — children whom I have to entrust to other people because I need to work to survive…. perhaps, this is the reason why our young children are morally lacking — it’s because they have parents who could supply them with everything they want, but who couldn’t feed their spiritual and emotional hunger because they are busy making ends meet.  I have children who, just like the generation before them, are faced with the challenge of being morally upright in an immoral world.  I couldn’t assure success.  I could only pray and ask for guidance because I am but a human being who is bound to make mistakes…

I know that Reproductive Health Act of 2007 is not the solution to the problem.  But I also know that the Catholic Church’s strong negation isn’t an answer either.  But perhaps, being what it is, an institution of faith which uphold morality, the Catholic Church can do a lot to solve this problem which has arisen from moral degeneration.  Perhaps it should start preaching on a more personal level — on a level where the parents could get to understand that the family is the only hope of the transformation of the youth so we can hope for wholesome citizens someday. — citizens who will bring in children into this world responsibly.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am a Catholic and I am staying that way.  I just felt the need to write this today.

If Only December 12, 2008

Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell.

- Proverbs 23: 13-14 –

These verses struck a chord in me today as I reflected on the plight of many teenagers who get their lives entangled into a seemingly irreparable mess early in their lives. I couldn’t help but be affected because I see this situation in my adolescent students everyday. I see the promise of intelligence gleaming through the look in their eyes — gleams that are so easily outshone by the shallow glitter of false gold that are so readily offered by the world. Students who come from a home complete with a mother and a father but who couldn’t even be civil towards each other in front of their children — parents who are literally trying to tear each other’s throats off in front of the children — children who naturally grow with the nagging question: “ARE THESE THE KIND OF PARENTS WHO WILL GUIDE ME TO BE THE PERSON THAT GOD WANTS ME TO BE?”

In my younger years, there were no parents guarding or watching their children in school for the whole day even when their children were already in Grade Five. There were no nannies who brought lunch boxes and umbrellas and face towels. There were no private tutors who were expected to answer assignments and make projects; no overprotective mom who readily wipes the sweat from the brows of her child. In short, children ,during my time, were allowed to be children … they were allowed to explore, to enjoy and to learn from their mistakes.  And they weren’t spared the rod of correction. Children were allowed the normalcy of being human. They were allowed to experience the sturdiness of a tree branch, the bruising pain of a fall, the freedom of running against the wind and feel it beating against one’s face, the comforting lap of sea water at midday wiping out any heat of the scorching sun.

We are at an unfortunate time when most parents equate love of their children with various material things: fancy dresses, expensive toys, a trip to Disneyland, modern gadgets and all those things. This is an unfortunate time when for some, going to church on Sundays has become a necessary farce for some families just to show off new clothes, cars and other things. This is an unfortunate time when parents think it a great sin to correct a child of his mistakes; a time when we have raised pretty and handsome —physically able — sons and daughters but who actually are spiritually and emotionally invalid because we have loved them too much to let them learn on their own. We have loved our children too much to the point of killing their blossoming spirits which could have bloomed through the hardships and the trials that would have polished the diamonds within themselves to perfection and undimmed radiance.

I remember a reading I had more than a decade ago. It was about a child who was pampered to destruction by his mother. Each time he made mistakes, he wasn’t reprimanded. When he wronged another child, he wasn’t scolded and corrected; when he stole from his mother’s wallet, the mother would dismiss it simply as a juvenile trick — she would just smile to her son and tell him how much she loved him instead. When he grew to be an adolescent, he was involved in a petty crime and was brought to the police station for interrogation. Once again, the ever loving mother came to his rescue to the point of scolding and berating the poor policemen and telling them that her son is a good man who can do no wrong. And then the young man grew up. His crimes escalated from the petty to the heinous ones. One day, he got arrested because he took part in a bank robbery. As expected, the mother hurried to the station to vouch for her son’s character and credibility. The son, who had been quietly sitting on one corner of the cell suddenly stood up and shouted, “ARREST THAT WOMAN!” The mother was baffled. She couldn’t understand why her son would want her imprisoned after everything she had done for him. She said, “MY SON, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE STILL GROWING UP, I DIDN’T LET YOU DO HOUSEHOLD CHORES BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO GET TIRED. I DIDN’T REPRIMAND YOU WHEN YOU STOLE FROM MY WALLET, DELIBERATELY THREW THE DISHES ON THE FLOOR OR MADE ANOTHER CHILD CRY. I PROTECTED YOU FROM EVERYTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE YOU MISERY AND PAIN. WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO BE IN THAT CELL INSTEAD OF YOU?”

And the young man answered, “IF  YOU ONLY CORRECTED ME BACK WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, IF  YOU ONLY MADE ME LEARN RIGHT FROM WRONG, IF YOU ONLY LOVED ME ENOUGH TO MAKE ME REALIZE MY MISTAKES, I WOULDN’T BE ON THIS CELL TODAY.”

This Is What I Love December 11, 2008

Have you ever felt the breeze gently caressing your cheeks, it’s invisible hand offering a feeling of comfort? Have you listened intently to the sound of falling rain and felt some old feelings rise to the surface once again? Have you looked around you and felt the awe at the beauty that surrounds you; the magnificence of God’s creation that is all yours to enjoy for free? The saying we meet so often applies to this situation…”We often take for granted the things we always see…”

In this fast paced life that we live in, we most often tend to forget that we are surrounded by beauty. We are too caught up in our pursuit of wealth, power and prestige and take for granted the breath taking and captivating beauty of nature. We are driven by different forces or pushed around by sometimes stellar yet unreachable ambitions and forget that our existence is not only limited to the acquisition of worldly materials and human acclaim. Oh yes, once we have ourselves looked upon as powerful and mighty, we feel a sort of jubilation…an empty triumph maybe, because at last, we have reaped the fruits of our perseverance. But if we look deeper into the innermost recesses of our hearts, can we really claim to be truly happy? Can we truly say we are at peace and content with the material things we possess? Can real happiness be equated with a fat bank account and buying everything our mercenary hearts so desire? Can all the riches in the world ever compare with the simple joy of feeling the peace of being one with the universe?

I love humanity… I love my brothers and sisters and would want them to experience the simple joys of living…not the hurry of the materially satisfying existence. I love to think that no matter how impossible, all of us will do some introspection and some reflection to ask ourselves how we will honestly feel if all of the beauty around us will suddenly perish before our very eyes … in place for all the power, the wealth and the prestige. I love to think that with this humble composition, I can make a difference — even a tiny impact on my reader’s lives…

And this is what I love…