Mi existencia.

Down the Easter Road: An Online Lenten Prayer Series with Hangad

2009-03-17T14:18:00.000+08:00

While we often eagerly anticipate the joy and celebration of Christmas, we seldom appreciate the significance of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. Yet Easter is the Christian occasion of greatest importance—even more so than Christmas. After all, everyone is born—but only Christ was reborn! What would be the significance of Christ's birth, if there had not been a Resurrection? What would be the meaning of Christmas, if Jesus did not go on to suffer, die, and rise again?

This Lenten season, we in Hangad invite you to join us in our preparations for Holy Week and Easter, with Down the Easter Road: an Online Lenten Prayer Series with Hangad.

Down the Easter Road is a four-part online prayer guide comprising readings, reflections, and songs. A new chapter in the recollection will be uploaded each Sunday from March 15 to April 6. Simply set aside 20 minutes each week to visit the site and go through the different materials there, and you’ll discover a deepened Lenten season.

And on April 25, we will culminate Down the Easter Road with an Easter concert which we will also place online.

Click HERE today to start your journey with us Down the Easter Road.

WHAT'S YOUR FINAL STAND?

2009-02-24T12:00:00.000+08:00

WE'LL TAKE WHATEVER YOU CAN GIVE!

But we highly suggest that you...

1. Blog and spread the word

The Internet has made entirely new forms of social interaction, activities and organizing possible because of its widespread usability and access. And according to World Internet Stats, as of June 30, 2008, 1.463 billionpeople use the Internet!

So link THE FINAL STAND (click me!) to your Facebook profiles and Y!M statuses, share this site on Plurk, blog about the issue and the movement on your LiveJournal--the possibilities are endless!

Become a fan! The Final Stand is on Facebook!

Other sites you can look at to educate yourselves about the issue:

http://carpernow.multiply.com

YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS TOO!

Just send in your blog entries together with:

- your name, year&course

- your photo

- a paragraph profile about you (hobbies? philosophy in life? dream? beliefs? favorite song or food? basta short background :P)

to: thefinalstand09@yahoo.com

2. Donate cash, clothes, medicines, food, etc for the farmers.

Lahat ng volunteers sari-sariling resources ang binibigay! That’s why we need all the help we can get! We will be needing your time and effort for the success of this great cause!

For inquiries, contact:

Cheenee Otarra at cheeneex@gmail.com

Rob Roque at robroque07@yahoo.com

Kurt Cendana at kurtcendana@gmail.com

You can also forward your inquiries to thefinalstand.multiply.com :)

We need YOU! :)

3. Sign the petition for the passage of CARPER

Petition booths will be set up in Zen and Gate 2.5 on March 4-5

PASS CARPER NOW!!

4. Join the solidarity night on March 4

Strength in numbers! Our situation calls for us to be in communion where we can share all that we are and, indeed, become all that we are meant to be. Human Solidarity is something that we labor to build by fighting injustice!

Join us and get educated on the urgency of CARPER!

Because YOU WILL get AFFECTED.

5. Light a candle on March 4, at 6:00PM; outside Gate 2.5

If you pass by the gate everyday on the way home, or if you can’t join us on Solidarity Night, let your voices be heard by lighting a candle and offering a prayer.

Never underestimate the power of prayer! It is through prayers that we speak our hope; that we open windows for God’s transforming grace in the world!

Light a candle. Say a prayer.

6. Be one of the fasting/hunger act participants

Think you can handle 24 hours without a single meal? Join us and be a hunger-actor! KAYANG-KAYA MO YAN!

7. Run for a Cause on March 4

Can’t commit to the 24-hour hunger act? RUN for the CARPER cause instead! Get that much-needed exercise while doing it for a good cause!

Help us get the word around…LITERALLY!

* * *

No effort is too small!

It is exactly the smallness of these gestures that make them speak more powerfully.

For our farmers, theirs is the story which tells of the moment when there’s no more story to tell—when the future disappeared for them.

Let us remember the clash of power of brute force and the power of the weak and vulnerable—the clash of the power of Pilate and the power of Christ. Let this FINAL STAND be an initiative of trust that, in Christ, justice and solidarity will prevail in ways we cannot guess or anticipate.

Let this movement be a sign of hope; a hope that this anguish can also be faced with clarity…that this may bear fruit.

FOR THE SENIORS:

Let this be YOUR FINAL STAND as Ateneans! Itodo mo na!

FOR THE UNDERGRADS:

Make this YOUR FINAL STAND for the school year.

FOR THE FACULTY and the ADMINISTRATION:

Let this be YOUR venue to act as true LEADERS and MENTORS to your students. A true embodiment of learning that is not just confined within lecture halls and classrooms.

FOR THE STAFF:

Let this be YOUR venue to show that SERVICE goes beyond your actual job descriptions. Make YOUR FINAL STAND through this EYE-AWAKENING SERVICE.

FOR THE ALUMNI:

Rekindle the real Atenean inside by championing not just the sport but the values of cura personalis and being persons-for-and-with-others. Make this YOUR STAND.

It's time we show our unity as ONE COMMUNITY.

Let us be men-and-women-for-others.

gusto niyo ba mag food trip? as in field trip na puro pagkain?

2009-01-29T11:20:00.000+08:00

Mangan tamu!
(kain tayo!)

VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA (Old Kitchen Tours)

The Kapampangan cuisine is highly regarded as one of the most delicious variety in the Philippines. Discover the secrets of the locals and explore the rich culture of Pampanga through this one of a kind cultural culinary experience. We will bring you to an extra special tour...we bring YOU to some of the old kitchens ofPampanga...because the best Kapampangan dishes are made at home.

Date: Feb 28, 2009

Fee: Php 1,500 per person
Inclusions: lectures, chartered vans, set and buffet dishes (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Meriendas)

Great expectations for 09

2009-01-02T09:51:00.000+08:00

No one believes their life will turn out just 'kind of okay'
We all think we're going to be great
And from the day we decide to be _______
We are filled, with expectation...
Expectations of the trails we will blaze
The people we will help
The difference we will make
Great expectations
of who we will be
Where we will go
And then...
we get there.

We all think we're going to be great
And we feel a little bit robbed when our expectations aren't met
But sometimes, our expectations sell us short
Sometimes, the expected simply pales in comparison, to the unexpected
You gotta wonder why we cling to our expectations
Because the expected is just what keeps us steady, standing, still
The expected is just the beginning
The unexpected is what changes our lives.
- From "Grey's Anatomy"
--------------------------------------------------------
Here's to a bountiful, blissful and blessed 2009 for everyone

International point of view

2008-12-10T14:09:00.000+08:00

AN OPEN LETTER IN RESPONSE TO
THE 14 SIGNATORIES OF THE ATENEO STATEMENT

”House Bill 5043 on “Reproductive Health and Population Development” has occasioned enormous debate in the Philippines and was recently the subject of a position paper drafted by 14 members of the faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University. In their statement, these faculty stated their belief that the bill adheres “to core principles of Catholic social teaching: the sanctity of human life, the dignity of the human person, the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, integral human development, human rights, and the primacy of conscience.” They believe these conditions of Catholic social teaching are met in Bill 5043. We, the undersigned Catholic academics, assert, however, that these Ateneo faculty are gravely mistaken in their presentation of the Church’s teaching.

”The primary reason for these Ateneo Faculty members´ support of the bill seems to stem from their deep commitment to the Church’s long-held “preferential option for the poor.” Their position paper describes, heart-wrenchingly, the situation of the poor in the Philippines. High maternal mortality rates, inadequate and uneven provision of basic health care, lack of birth attendants, and lack of reproductive health information: such situations place an undue burden on the poor, and in particular on women. These women, like all women, desire to determine the number and spacing of their children, and ensure that proper nutrition, health care, and education can be provided for each member of their families. As Catholics, we have a clear obligation to ensure that all persons, particularly the poor, have the ability to exercise these basic freedoms.

”As Catholic academics, we agree that we must support civic and governmental initiatives that can aid the poor. Nevertheless, a Catholic cannot support the Reproductive Health and Population Development bill in good conscience, because the primary provisions of the bill not only fail to recognize and support the dignity of the poor, but also stand in direct opposition to Catholic social teaching. The bill focuses primarily on providing services to curb the number of children of the poor, while doing little to remedy their situation, provide necessary health care or establish the grounds for sound economic development.

”A few citations will serve to show how clear and unambiguous is the Church’s care for the dignity of the person, and in particular the poor, and how critical it is for us to heed her teachings in addressing the circumstances facing the Philippines today.

”Rerum Novarum opens with the powerful reminder that “Man precedes the state” and for that reason should not be subject to the state’s regulation of his private matters. Populorum Progressio reiterates this sentiment, stating: "No solution . . . is acceptable which does violence to man's essential dignity; those who propose such solutions base them on an utterly materialistic conception of man himself and his life. The only possible solution to this question is one which envisages the social and economic progress both of individuals and of the whole of human society, and which respects and promotes true human values."[1]

”Perhaps no document speaks more powerfully in opposition to the main ideas in this bill than Humanae Vitae: “Therefore we base our words on the first principles of a human and Christian doctrine of marriage when we are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children. Equally to be condemned, as the Magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary.”[2]

“In reply to the claim that reproductive rights, contraception and sterilization are required in order to help the poor limit their family size and thus aid the poor by reducing the numbers of mouths to feed, Humanae Vitae states: “Others ask on the same point whether it is not reasonable in so many cases to use artificial birth control if by so doing the harmony and peace of a family are better served and more suitable conditions are provided for the education of children already born. To this question we must give a clear reply. The Church is the first to praise and commend the application of human intelligence to an activity in which a rational creature such as man is so closely associated with his Creator. But she affirms that this must be done within the limits of the order of reality established by God.”[3]

”Artificial contraception can never be accepted by the Church as an action in conformity with the dignity of the human person because “each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life.”[4] Further, it is never valid to argue, “as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one,[5]” as the authors of the position paper seem to suggest. While applauding efforts in the bill to provide information on both artificial and natural forms of family planning, the position paper then asserts that provision of contraceptives as essential medicines and fully covered sterilizations for indigent patients are measures that promote quality of life.[6] This statement directly contradicts Catholic teaching, which recognizes the use and promotion of artificial contraception and sterilization as intrinsically evil. Such actions can never be promoted or justified. “It is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it – in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, or a family or of society in general. Consequently it is a serious error to think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong.[7]”

“The Church does not hold these positions to punish the poor, but rather because she recognizes that the poor have the same inviolable dignity and rights that all human persons share. What the poor need is not contraception and sterilization, but to experience authentic solidarity with those who, in responding to their innate dignity, work with the poor to enable them to develop their skills, improve their circumstances and cultivate lives that are marked by both interior and exterior freedom. This places a much more radical demand on those of us to whom much has been given (Luke 12:48); we must live and work with the poor in order to identify and enable the resources they require to live lives of authentic freedom.

”Finally, Humanae Vitae warns us that "[c]areful consideration should be given to the danger of this power[8] passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.”[9]

“These statements of the Church and Magisterium have been retained in all subsequent documents and reiterated in documents too numerous to cite here.[10] These few, but clear, passages make it abundantly clear that no Catholic can in good conscience support Bill 5043. This Bill violates the Church’s teachings in the gravest manner.

”Maternal and ObGyn health
“Finally, it must be emphasized that there are two sections in the bill that should be applauded and expanded. Both Section 6 and Section 7 call for the expansion of midwives and birth attendants, as well as greater access to obstetric care. Such measures are critical to reducing maternal mortality and making progress toward the Millennium Development Goals, particularly MDG 5 (maternal health) and MDG 4 (infant health). Healthy mothers are the critical factor in assuring infant and child health.[11]

”Unfortunately, these two sections are the weakest in the bill. Most of the reproductive health proposals of the bill are mandatory and supported through financial means, as well as through the creation of new government agencies to assure implementation. Sections 6 and 7 of the Bill, which provide the only concrete health care and services to prevent or eliminate maternal mortality, are not mandatory, and the bill earmarks neither institutional support systems nor finances for their implementation. The POPCOM, which is established in Section 5 to implement and oversee the commitments outlined in the bill, has nine specific areas related to reproductive health and reproductive health services, yet no explicit mention of any responsibility in the area of maternal and ObGyn care. This most important section of the bill - and the only section actually consistent with Catholic social teaching - has been entirely neglected in the allocation of responsibilities to the agency established to oversee its implementation.

“A bill that responds to the situation of the poor requires us to respond to their full range of needs in order to facilitate integral improvement in their quality of life. This necessitates the creation of laws that guarantee the adoption of measures, at the national and local levels, that will lead to improved access to authentic development including the provision of basic health care and access to quality education. It is measures such as these that will enable the poor to develop and thrive, and that will affirm and respect the dignity of each and every human person. This bill stops short of assuring implementation of needed medical care, while emphasizing the adoption of measures that deny the dignity and freedom of the poor. As Catholics we have a moral duty to defend and support the poor; we must demand more from our legislators and from ourselves, placing ourselves at the service of poor, ready to commit to the necessary work, sacrifice and solidarity needed to establish and build societies that will respond to authentic needs while respecting the dignity and freedom of every human person.”

November 4, 2008

[1] Encyclical letter Populorum Progressio, nos. 48-55: AAS 59 (1967), 281-284
[2] Encyclical letter Humanae Vitae, nos 14-15, (1968)
[3] Ibid, no. 16
[4] Ibid, no. 12
[5] Ibid, no. 14
[6] “Catholics can Support the RH Bill in Good Conscience”, Position paper on the Reproductive Health Bill by individual faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University, pp. 2-7, 15 October, 2008
[7] Humane Vitae, no 14
[8] Paul VI is referring to the control of reproduction and artificial contraception when he talks of “this power” being put in the hands of the state. This passage follows directly on a passage in which he discusses the problems artificial contraception poses within the marital union, and then expands to the consideration of problems that will result if the state is given the authority to regulate conception and birth.
[9] Humanae Vitae, no 17
[10] The Church's teaching on marriage and human procreation affirms the "inseparable connection, willed by God and unable to be broken by man on his own initiative, between the two meanings of the conjugal act: the unitive meaning and the procreative meaning. Indeed, by its intimate structure, the conjugal act, while most closely uniting husband and wife, capacitates them for the generation of new lives, according to laws inscribed in the very being of man and of woman."(38) This principle, which is based upon the nature of marriage and the intimate connection of the goods of marriage, has well-known consequences on the level of responsible fatherhood and motherhood. "By safeguarding both these essential aspects, the unitive and the procreative, the conjugal act preserves in its fullness the sense of true mutual love and its ordination towards man's exalted vocation to parenthood."(39) The same doctrine concerning the link between the meanings of the conjugal act and between the goods of marriage throws light on the moral problem of homologous artificial fertilization, since "it is never permitted to separate these different aspects to such a degree as positively to exclude either the procreative intention or the conjugal relation." (40) Contraception deliberately deprives the conjugal act of its openness to procreation and in this way brings about a voluntary dissociation of the ends of marriage." The Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith quoting Humanae Vitae and Pope Pius XII in its "Instruction on the respect for Human Life and on the Dignity of Procreation" Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, February 22, 1987
[11] As cited in the Ateneo position paper, page 2.

List of Signatories

1. Prof Janet E. Smith
Father Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics
Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, MI.

2. Robert G Kennedy, PhD
Professor and Chair
Department of Catholic Studies
Co-Director
Terrence J Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Public Policy
University of St Thomas
Mail #55-S
St Paul, MN 55105

3. Richard S. Myers
Professor of Law
Ave Maria School of Law
3475 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105-2550

4. Romanus Cessario, O.P.
Professor of Theology
Saint John's Seminary
Boston, Massachusetts

5. Rev. Joseph W. Koterski, S.J.
Department of Philosophy
Fordham University
Bronx, NY 10458 USA

6. Theresa Notare, PhD
Assistant Director
Natural Family Planning Program
Secretariat for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th St., N.E.
Washington, DC 20017

7. Fr. Basil Cole, O.P.
Dominican House of Studies
487 Michigan Ave NE
Washington DC 20017
bbcole@dhs.edu

8. E. Christian Brugger, D.Phil.
Associate Professor of Moral Theology
Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary
Denver, Colorado 80210, USA

9. SC Selner-Wright, PhD
Acting Chair, Philosophy Department
Acting Director, Pre-Theology Cycle
St. John Vianney Theological Seminary
Denver, Colorado USA

10. Dr. Mary Healy
Associate Professor of Sacred Scripture
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
2701 Chicago Boulevard
Detroit, MI 48206

11. Ångela Aparisi Miralles
Philosophy of Law Professor
Directora - Instituto de Derechos Humanos
Universidad de Navarra

12. Michael Rota
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
University of St. Thomas
St. Paul, MN

13. Michael Scaperlanda
Associate Dean for Research
Edwards Family Chair in Law
University of Oklahoma College of Law

14. Richard Stith J.D.(Yale), Ph.D.(Yale)
Professor of Law
Valparaiso University School of Law
656 South Greenwich St.
Valparaiso, IN 46383-4945
USA

15. Patrick Quirk
Associate Professor
Ave Maria School of Law
3475 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105-2550

16. Fr. Earl Muller, S.J.
Kevin M. Britt Chair in Theology/Christology
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
Detroit, MI, USA

17. Professor David Paton
Chair of Industrial Economics
Nottingham University Business School
Jubilee Campus
Wollaton Road
Nottingham NG8 1BB
United Kingdom

18. Dr. Eduardo J. Echeverria
Professor of Philosophy
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
2701 Chicago Blvd
Detroit, MI 48206

19. Jane Adolphe
Associate Professor of Law
Ave Maria School of Law
Ann Arbor, Michigan
USA, 48105

20. Teresa S. Collett
Professor of Law
University of St. Thomas School of Law
MSL 400, 1000 LaSalle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403-2015

21. David Braine,
Honorary Research Fellow,
Department of Philosophy,
University of Aberdeen, UK.

22. Dr. Helen Watt
Director
Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics
London

23. Ligia M. De Jesus
Assistant Professor of Law
Ave Maria School of Law
3475 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105-2550
USA

24. Jacqueline M. Nolan-Haley
Professor of Law
Director, ADR & Conflict Resolution Program
Fordham Law School
140 W. 62nd Street
New York, New York 10023

25. William E. May
Michael J.McGivney Professor of Moral Theology
John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
Washington DC

26. Evelyn (Timmie) Birge Vitz
Professor of French, New York University
Affiliated Professor of Comparative Literature, Medieval
and Renaissance Studies, and Religious Studies
19 University Place, #623, New York, NY 10003

27. Mary M. Keys
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
USA

28. Mark E. Ginter, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Moral Theology
Saint Meinrad School of Theology
200 Hill Drive
St. Meinrad, IN 47577

29. Father Daniel J. Trapp
Professor of Sacramental Theology
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
2701 Chicago Boulevard
Detroit, MI 48206

30. Maria Fedoryka
Philosophy Department of Ave Maria University
Ave Maria, FL.

31. Dr Dermot Grenham
Graduate Teaching Assistant
London School of Economics
London

32. Dr. Michael Pakaluk
Professor of Philosophy
Institute for the Psychological Sciences
Arlington, VA 22101

33. Timothy Flanigan MD
Professor of Medicine
Brown University Medical School

34. Gerard Bradley
School of Law
Notre Dame University

35. Adrian J. Reimers
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Philosophy
208 Malloy Hall
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
574-631-7384

36. Daniel Philpott
Associate Professor, Political Science and Joan B. Kroc Institute
for International Peace Studies
University of Notre Dame

37. Aneta Gawkowska
Assistant Professor, Sociology
University of Warsaw

38. Tom D’Andrea
Philosophy
Cambridge University

39. Peter Kreeft
Philosophy
Boston College

40. J. Budziszewski
Departments of Government and Philosophy
University of Texas at Austin

41. Habib Malik
Department of History, Lebanese American University
Beirut

42. Nicholas Eberstadt
Political Economy
American Enterprise Institute
Washington, D.C.

How to help the Calatagan Farmers

2008-12-04T11:53:00.000+08:00

Mga butihing kasama sa Ateneo:

Dumating ang mga Sumilao farmers sa Ateneo nuong ika-5 ng Disyembre, 2007 at napakahalaga sa kanila ang ibinigay nating suporta.

Makalipas ang isang taon, ngayong Biyernes, ika-5 ng Disyembre, 2008 muli nating ipakita ang ating pakikiisa sa mga magsasaka ng Calatagan.

Nagsimula na silang maglakad nuong ika-1 ng Disyembre upang ipaglaban ang kanilang pagmamay-ari sa lupang sinasaka sa Brgy. Baha at Brgy. Talibayog.

Sa Biyernes, ika-5 ng Disyembre maaring ipadama ang pagsuporta sa kanila sa maraming paraan....

4:00 ng umaga: sumabay sa kanilang paglalakad mula De La Salle University (dadaan ng UN Avenue-Nagtahan- - Aurora Blvd) patungong Ateneo de Manila University

11:00 ng umaga: salubungin natin ang isang daan at limampung
magsasaka sa Gate 2

12:00 ng tanghali: maging bahagi ng misang gaganapin sa Church of the Gesu
(punong tagapagdiwang: Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales)

3:00 - 6:00 : tumulong sa medical check-up, Loyola House covered courts

Magpapalipas sila ng gabi dito sa Ateneo at itutuloy ang kanilang paglalakad patungong DAR kinabukasan, ika-6 ng Disyembre,2008.

Ito ang kanilang iba pang pangangailangan:

a.. mga doktor at gamot (loperamide, paracetamol, pain relievers, neo-block
at vitamins)
b.. banig, tsinelas o sapatos
c.. pagkain

Kung nais makatulong, makipag-ugnayan lamang po sa aming tanggapan.
4261017, 4266001 lokal 5090 (Raffy Papelleras)

Lubos na gumagalang,
An Manapat

Office for Social Concern and Involvement (OSCI)
Loyola Schools

Unite with Mumbai

2008-11-29T06:12:00.000+08:00

Sign the petition for Mumbai

Mumbai: We Will Not be Divided

The whole world is reeling from the shock of the attacks in Mumbai.These attacks were aimed at our people, our prosperity and our peace. But their top target was something else: our unity.

If these attacks cause us to turn on each other in hatred and conflict, the terrorists will have won. They know that hatred and chaos feeds on division. They also know that as radical extremists, their only hope of disrupting society as a whole is turning the rest of us against each other.

Let's deny them that victory. We're launching a message to extremists on all sides, and our fellow citizens, one that will soon be published in newspapers across India and Pakistan. The message is that these tactics aren't working and we are more united than ever. And we are determined to work together to stop violent extremism, and call our political and religous leader to so the same. If millions of people sign it, our message will be unmistakable.

-------
We citizens of India, and countries around the world, from all faiths, backgrounds and walks of life, declare with one voice that the terrorist attacks in Mumbai have not divided us, will not divide us, and that we stand together, as one people, against all violent extremists who shamefully target the innocent. We call upon all our political and religious leaders to come together at this moment, and take effective action to prevent the spread of violence.

Be the LIGHT, Atenean

2008-11-29T05:18:00.000+08:00

In this time of crisis, we are called to

Be the Light

A Candle-lighting and Prayer Vigil for the Country.

Pass by the Zen Garden on Tuesday, December 2, 2008

to do the following:

Know more about the pressing issues that you need to know.

2010 elections and need for electoral reforms.

State of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Reproductive Health Bill.

Charter Change and Impeachment.

Light a candle.

Make it known that you stand for the Philippines in its time of need.

Pray for the Country.

Join us in offering prayers, and sharing reflections during these times:

10:30 am - 12:00 pm.

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm.

It will only take a few minutes to show that you care.

Be the Light.

Because only WE can make a difference against the darkness.

Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng mga Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo de Manila

Committee on Social Concern and External Affiliations.

Council of Organizations of the Ateneo

Issue and Policy Analysis Cluster (AEA, HPAIR, ADS, ENTABLADO, The Assembly, AStat).

Faith Formation Cluster (ACIL, AtSCA, ACLC, ACMG, YFC-A).

The Development Society.

Make more people care. Share this to all Ateneans (students, faculty, staff) who can Be the Light.

ICT for Development - tap the changemaker in you!

2008-10-15T19:57:00.000+08:00

MIS/CS majors might be interested. The professor is from UP and is a recognized expert in the country on ICT for Development. Now who says Development Studies is limited to those in the social sciences? :p be one with us in imagining better

---

DS 165.56 A - INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEV’T

Dr. Erwin Gaspar A. Alampay / Sat / 9:00-12:00nn / F 115

» It is the object of this course to help the participants understand how information, and systems for sending and receiving information could be used for development and improve governance. It looks at the role of information and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in development. In discussing the role of ICTs in development, the course will not be limited to computers and the Internet alone. Rather, it will include other ICTs such as the radio, TV, telephone and other indigenous information systems that may be available.

The course also looks at how ICTs are changing organizations and how people work. It will discuss the administrator’s role in implementing these changes to make the change more manageable.

Last, the course will look into important policy issues in the field, foremost of which are access, privacy, security and content (i.e. National ID), and the role of government, private organizations, and ordinary citizens to regulate this dynamic and rapidly changing field (i.e. VOIP).

This course is credited as a Development Management elective

Gross National Happiness

2008-08-28T14:06:00.000+08:00

yesterday, while doing my research for my major paper for polity & governance of china, i came across a book entitled "Gross National Happiness and Material Welfare in Bhutan and Japan". i remember Sir Leland's lecture during sophomore year about a country that measured their development via a happiness indicator. imagine that.

here's an excerpt of the introduction of the book. i actually found it quite interesting :) very Amartya Sen ang pinaghuhugutan haha.

"Empirical evidence strongly suggests that modern economic development has not increased subjective well-being in high-income countries, despite manifold increases of income over just a couple of decades. In many domains, people even experience of deterioration of their quality of life as competitive forces grow along with incomes.

Bhutan has taken ownership of its development strategy and has come up with a unique development philosophy under the title "Gross National Happiness" (GNH) formulated by His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan in the late 1970s. This expresses the idea that development should serve the well-being of the people and that economic growth is only a means for, not the end of, development. The Bhutanese government is now working on the Bhutan Development Index which will be composed of GNH indicators to monitor and evaluate its development process."

note: GNH indicators are measures over holistic human development and ecological
sustainability [cultural preservation, equitable socio-economic development, good
governance, environment conservation]

with GNH, do you think the Philippines will be able to get a good measure? :O

remains to be seen.

Katipunan Traffic Update

2008-08-14T14:34:00.000+08:00

From the Ateneo Physical Plant Office

TRAFFIC BULLETIN
(Thursday, 14 August 2008)

KATIPUNAN TRICYCLES & TRAFFIC

TRICYCLES

1. MMDA personnel informed tricycle drivers and operators this
morning that tricycles will not be allowed along Katipunan starting tomorrow, Friday 15 August 2008. This was confirmed by MR. ALEX A. BAAY,President of the Loyola Pansol Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) and Mr. ROMEO C. MORALES, President of Loyola Heights TODA.

2. Katipunan is part of C5, a major thoroughfare, and tricycles
are not allowed on major thoroughfares.

3. Some LPTODA (Green) and LHTODA (White) tricycles will try to
enter the campus very early tomorrow morning and provide tricycle services on campus.

4. Tricycle terminals will be allowed near Gate 2.5 footbridge and at Gate 3.5 footbridge.

5. Tricycle-riding members of the community may encounter problems going to school and offices tomorrow.

TRAFFIC

1. Campus security has learned from an unofficial source that MMDA will extend the concrete barriers separating northbound vehicles coming from the flyover and the service road till past Gate 2.

2. This means that only northbound vehicles using the service road will be able to enter Gate1 and Gate 2.

3. Northbound vehicles coming from the flyover will have to enter
Ateneo via Gate 3.

Feel free to copy and paste to inform others

Hangad: Noon at Ngayon (a 10th Anniversary Concert!)

2008-08-11T15:29:00.000+08:00

"Kung aawit ako nang mag-isa, awit ko'y awitin nga ba?"

Block off your calendars for Hangad: Noon at Ngayon, a 10th anniversary concert for Hangad's first album titled "Hangad". The show will feature inspirational and liturgical standards from Hangad's repertoire -- some in their original form, others with fresh new arrangements -- such as
Panunumpa, Pananatili, and Pag-Ibig Ko.

Moreover, the show features the launch of a commemorative 5-track CD,
also titled Hangad: Noon at Ngayon, featuring new arrangements of
well-loved songs mostly from Hangad's first album, plus the first-time
release of the upbeat "Walang Ibang Hangad."

Hangad : Noon at Ngayon
will be held at

7:00 PM on
August 30, 31 and September 7, 2008,
at the St Stanislaus Chapel of the
Ateneo High School,
Ateneo de Manila University,
Katipunan Ave., Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

Tickets are at Php150, which covers entrance to the show and a copy of
the commemorative CD "Hangad: Noon at Ngayon." Additional "Hangad: Noon at Ngayon" CD's can be purchased at Php100 each.

"Habambuhay iisa ang Hangad: umawit sa "Yo!"

Visit us at www.hangad.com or email us at mail@hangad.com

Imagining the Better

2008-08-08T06:01:00.000+08:00

as per request, here's the speech I gave in the cRICEsis forum just this wednesday.

-----------------------

259,135 - that is the estimated number of poor families in Metro Manila alone in 2008. It is a far cry from the 167,316 poor families measured in 2006. Roughly a 155% increase in the span of just two years.

10,000 - that is the minimum monthly income/expenditure needed by a family in Metro Manila to meet basic food and non-food requirements. According to Romulo Virola of the NSCB, that 10,000 pesos is limited to expenses for food, education, health and transportation.

I can go on to spew more numbers and empirical evidence to portray the Philippines’ poverty threshold, income deciles distribution, human development index, and so on. However, I know that all of you here are aware of the utterly cruel reality which our people face -- the unequal opportunity to live a secure and fully actualized life.

For a poor child, to dream of a brighter future becomes a privilege. For a landless farmer, to be listened to and heard by the powers-that-be becomes an ending only found in fairy tales and telenovelas.

What then can an Atenean do? Will we simply be paralyzed by the reason that we are “just students”? Or will we be open to allow the pain felt by our fellow Filipinos to move us to respond in our own innovative ways?

Our role as students does not hinder us from becoming socially involved. There is so much we can do. You can send numerous emails to advocate the need to preserve the environment or protect human rights. Thanks to NSTP, JEEP or immersion, you can post blogs about your experience with the marginalized. Or you can start your own women’s organization here in the Ateneo. You can even utilize your amazing grasp of the English language in order to donate rice grains to the World Food Program via www.freerice.com! Each Atenean has the intellectual, technological and even financial resources to catalyze change for the betterment of the lives of the voiceless and marginalized. It’s only a matter of choosing to respond.

Father Pedro Caluag S.J. once said “The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” It is important to acknowledge that each individual has been gloriously gifted with the skills and abilities that highlight one’s passion. Whether your course is Management Engineering, Computer Science or Philosophy, each of you can help in alleviating, or better yet, eradicating poverty by virtue of your expertise. If we are to endeavor for a sustained battle against poverty, it is important to recognize the necessity for us -- Management, Sciences, Engineering, Social Sciences and Humanities majors -- to band together in order to effectively address social development issues while staying grounded on our course’s proficiency. In short, we are called to be professionals-for-others

Don’t worry, I’m nearly finished.

To imagine is such a powerful human ability. This act of imagining enables a person to envision an alternate reality. The societal change we seek to realize starts with acknowledging that our present reality of inequity and insecurity must not be accepted as the “status quo”. I believe that the power to imagine a better reality for humanity will ultimately bind us in our quest towards a better world.

So my fellow Ateneans, start the habit. Imagine better.

Thank you and good day.

donate rice... ONLINE!

2008-08-05T14:29:00.000+08:00

aba'y akalain mong makakapagbigay ka ng bigas.. with just a click of a mouse button?!

visit www.freerice.com

for every correct definition of a word, you donate 20 grains! dapat magpaka-nerd at kunin na ang dictionary para mag multiply ang grains of rice na maibigay :)

now who said you can't be part of the solution even if you're a student/yuppie? :-)

put those thinking caps on!

cRICEsis?

2008-07-30T09:53:00.000+08:00

The Development Society
in Partnership with
the Development Studies Program,
United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP),
and the Sanggunian ng mga Mag-Aaral ng Ateneo

Invite you to

"cRICEsis"
An In-Depth Look at the Current Situation of the Rice Crisis

With
Mr. Stephen Anderson
(Current Country Director of the UNWFP)

on
August 6, 1008
4:30 - 6:00 pm
at
the Escaler Hall
Ateneo de Manila University

** The activity will be on a first come first serve basis. Please be on time.

Paralyzed by incapacity or too entertained to react?

2008-06-28T14:16:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, a female Atenean was sitting almost helplessly on a trolley being pushed by a janitor. A female friend of hers was aiding her by allowing her to inhale through a paper bag while a male friend was making sure she doesn't fall off the trolley. All the people in Colayco Pav, at least the ones near the concrete path going to Faura, were staring at this sight. The janitor had to stop once in a while because the weak girl on the trolley kept signaling her female friend. Then these 3 tall and muscled guys stopped to gape -- yes, to GAPE -- at this poor girl who was sitting down on the trolley. They didn't even stop to ask if they could help bring the girl to the infirmary. To make matters worse, when I looked at two girls beside our booth, one of them was looking at the helpless girl on the trolley WHILE furiously messaging away through her PDA. geeez. I was reminded of the Ateneo Gossip Girl like website i just visited. Don't tell me you were too busy documenting what was happening?!

Benjo and I then decided to ask how we could help seeing that they were moving at a snail's pace. I asked the female friend "Anong nangyari?" She responded "Hindi siya makahinga." We asked how we could help. The janitor said that we should go to the infirmary to get a wheelchair.

Benjo and I ran to SocSci building.

And a toink moment happened.

"Benjo, alam mo kung san yung infirmary?"

Silence.

*laughter while running"

Luckily, we were able to find it agad.

To make the long story short, we weren't able to give the wheelchair because another janitor, a lanky and slightly tall one, carried the girl inside the infirmary. Asking what had happened, I distinctly remember the janitor saying "may nakita lang ako.. pinagtatawanan..." I couldn't hear the rest of the dialogue with one of the people from ADSA.

I certainly hope that that girl who was, apparently, hyperventilating and catching her breath, wasn't the butt of any joke.

But what kills me was what I witnessed at Colayco Pav. My Lord. Were those big guys and that PDA-texting girl too entertained and amused to react? Did they think that since there were 3 people helping this girl, pwede na? Wala nang magagawa? Importante bang may i-chismis? Were their moral compasses at a standstill?

Watching CSI Las Vegas last night, I remember Grissom said "Our moral compasses can only take us so far. It can never ensure that we get to the right action."

So, Ateneans, are your moral compasses still guiding you to do the right thing?

allowing oneself to be FOUND

2008-06-13T11:54:00.000+08:00

Looking for signs

This gift is in the little everyday things

Paulo Coelho | May 2004

We tend to assume that life will give us another chance tomorrow at whatever came up yesterday and today. But if we really pay attention, we see that no single day is like another. Every morning brings a hidden blessing that serves only for that day and cannot be saved or used again. If we don’t use today’s gift today, it will be lost.

This gift is in the little everyday things. If we experience every minute intensely, in such minutes we can find the solution to a problem, the person we are looking for or the path to a decision that will change our whole future. But how can we find the courage to live this way? I think God talks to us through signs, which are a special language we can learn only through belief and discipline.

Augustine was converted that way. For years he examined various philosophical movements, looking for an answer to the meaning of life. Then one afternoon in his backyard in Milan, deep in thought about the failure of his quest, he heard a child singing, "Pick it up and read! Pick it up and read!" Although he had always allowed logic to be his guide, on impulse he decided to open up the first book within reach. It was the Bible, and he read a passage from Paul that contained the answers he was seeking. From that day on, Augustine expanded his search, making room for belief, and became one of the church’s greatest theologians.

The monks in the desert, who always said that you have to allow the angels to do their work, occasionally did preposterous things, like talking to flowers or laughing for no reason. The alchemists followed the "signs of God," paths that often appear to be dead ends but [that] ultimately lead somewhere. "Modern people want to banish all doubts and uncertainties from life," said the dean of the Cathedral of San Francisco. "In the end, their souls die of hunger because mysteries are food for the soul."

There is a meditation exercise that entails explaining every action for ten minutes each day. For example, you might say, "I am reading the newspaper because I want to be informed. I am thinking of certain people because a particular subject I just read about made me think of them. I am walking to the door because I am leaving the house." And so on.

Buddha calls this "conscious attention" If we catch ourselves repeating the most mundane, routine actions, we become aware of the wealth of detail that fills our life. We then understand every step and every posture. We discover important things and useless thoughts.

If we have the discipline to do this for a week, we become more conscious of our flaws and absent-mindedness. But we also see that at certain moments we do what we do for no reason at all and instead are following our intuition. We then begin to understand the silent language that God uses to point us in the right direction. We can call it intuition, a sign, instinct or coincidence – the name is irrelevant. The important thing is that through conscious attention we realize that we are often led to the right decision, which gives us more faith and makes us stronger.

---------------------------------------------

i haven't been able to voice this out but, hey, here goes..

I've been spiritually dry since the time that my dad passed away.

I don't know just why that happened given the fact that I have always been quite close to the Big Guy.

I guess you can say I got a wake-up call just last night when I lost my cellphone.

Pathetic, I know. But you won't understand it unless you knew the value (not monetary) of that phone...

That was the last gift that my dad ever gave me.

I guess my professor's statement summarized the pain of the loss ...

"it's time to move on.."

Going back to my spiritual condition, I have still been going to mass but I guess

I couldn't deny the emptiness I seem to feel..

I was trying so hard to hold on however fragile the threads of my faith seem to be..

I wanted myself to go back to that "spiritual high" I used to have..

Like Fr. Arnel told my brother before "At times we may get lost and wander from His path.. But the point is to allow yourself to be FOUND by Him"

Am i looking for signs?

Yes I think I am.

And I'd like to believe I just witnessed one

When I just finished highlighting this text -- "We then begin to understand the silent language that God uses to point us in the right direction" , Fr. Dan McNamara stopped right in front of me (Im in the library near the exit) and then smiled and waved his hand. I've always been in awe of him because he always seemed to keep His presence and practice it in his life. Add the fact that his homilies have, many a time, compelled me to think twice, thrice and even more about how I live my life and what I choose to value among other things. Let's not forget that my friends in ACMG and I have dubbed him Fr. Dan "Voice of God" McNamara.

I haven't been able to go to confession for more than 6 months.. a FIRST, actually.

and right then and there, after Fr. Dan said hi and headed to the exit, I decided to run after him.

"Fr. Dan!"

He turns around.

"Would it be okay if I hear confession?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow for Davao but I'll be back next week, on the 21st. You can email me so that we can meet."

A smile suddenly lights up his face. Even his eyes seem to twinkle as he patiently waits for my reply.

"oh, i see... Next week then..?"

He nods, with the eye-cheek-smile never vanishing from his face, turns to his colleague and exits the library.

On my way back to this computer, I realize -- THAT was it. THAT was the silent language. I had just been found.

I'm ready to go back home.

Natural ng pilosopo

2008-05-06T13:12:00.000+08:00

"Ang pag-iisip ay hindi laro kundi taimtim na paghahanap sa totoo ...

Kung mamimilosopiya ka sa Ingles habang ang nagwawalis sa kalye, namamasada sa jeepney, ay nag-iisip sa Filipino, anong uri ng paghahanap ng katotohanan ito?

Kailangang kilalanin na ang ordinaryong tao

ay namimilosopiya din at naghahanap ng katotohanan."

- Padre Roque Ferriols, SJ

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

can't wait for Philo 103 next sem. I even started reading Pilosopiya ng Relihiyon by Padre Roque.. Turns out my brother still kept his copy. Hehe.

God willing, I'll be able to get Tagalog Philo again (and if I get lucky, Sir Roy ulit teacher ko :p)

Sir, pa-reserve naman ng slot. hahaha.

random.

2008-05-01T12:00:00.000+08:00

I've been reading the novel "Rule of Four" the past few days. It's been awhile since I've been this excited to turn from one page to the next! haha. i looove exciting novels. Maybe that's why I couldn't forget Tennyson's Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles. There's something about mystery that enthralls me and besides, imagine just paying 95pesos for a bestseller! haha. Me LOOVE BookSale! (p.s. may 60pesos na Tipping Point pa! hahaha)

This is one of the "wounding" lines of the novel. There's a lot, believe me. I just haven't had the time to take note since I'm too excited about finishing the book. haha.

Adulthood is a glacier encroaching quietly on youth. When it arrives, the stamp of childhood suddenly freezes, capturing us for good in the image of our last act, the pose we struck when the ice of age set in.

Amen to that.
--------------------------------------
"My father viewed the Hypnerotomachia as a
tribute to the love of man for a woman.
It was the only work of art he knew that
mimicked the beautiful chaos of that emotion."

Invisible Hugs

2008-04-23T15:02:00.000+08:00

be kind to those you meet, whether you know them or not, for they might be facing a battle far greater than your own.

For the Sake of Strangers by Dorianne Laux
No matter what the grief, its weight,
we are obliged to carry it.
We rise and gather momentum, the dull strength
that pushes us through crowds.
And then the young boy gives me directions
so avidly. A woman holds the glass door open,
waiting patiently for my empty body to pass through.
All day it continues, each kindness
reaching toward another—a stranger
singing to no one as I pass on the path, trees
offering their blossoms, a retarded child
who lifts his almond eyes and smiles.
Somehow they always find me, seem even
to be waiting, determined to keep me
from myself, from the thing that calls to me
as it must have once called to them—
this temptation to step off the edge
and fall weightless, away from the world.

"The poem is about the experience of continuing through daily life despite feeling immense grief. Although "For the Sake of Strangers" is about an individual who is struggling with emotional pain, Laux creates a picture of hope as she describes strangers, unaware of the speaker's pain, showing kindness. The poem depicts a remedy to loneliness and hopelessness. The pain felt by the poem's speaker is a common problem, but the solution is somewhat unexpected.

She draws understated connections between the people in the poem, pointing to the universality of human experience. The people are strangers to the speaker in the poem, but they are not strangers to the speaker's pain. They have compassion for her because they, too, have felt grief."

-------------------------------------------------
have you seen Me in the sun that shines each morning?
have you heard the ramblings of a child?
have you felt Me in the gentle touch of rainfall?
and known the kindness in a stranger's eyes?

I am the joy that rings in your laughter.
Mine is the Hand that soothes your pain.
I am the strength when dreams are broken and done.
I am the hope that will not fade.
- Love Untold, The Easter Journey
Lyrics by Paulo Tirol

Buhay Atenista. Mismo!

2008-04-16T06:31:00.000+08:00

saw this sa multiply ni sheila. how true haha!

Every New Semester (comment:eager beaver pa!) After First Week(comment:whew): After Second Week: Before the Mid-Term Test(pffft): During the Mid-Term Test: After the Mid-Term Test(sabaw): Before the Final Exams: Once You Get to Know the Final Exam Schedule (nagtatanong tanong na lang): 7 Days Before the Final Exam: 6 Days Before the Final Exam: 5 Days Before the Final Exam: 4 Days Before the Final Exam: 3 Days Before the Final Exam: 2 Days Before the Final Exam: 1 Day Before the Final Exam (master crammer ako): The Night Before the Final Exam: 1 Hour Before the Final Exam: During the Final Exam: Once Walk Out From the Examination Hall (specifically post-philo orals): After the Final Exam, During the Holiday:

Syntesis sa Pilosopiya: Pinananagutan

2008-03-15T07:34:00.000+08:00

natapos ko na yung syntesis! woohoo! share ko nga rin. natuwa ako sa ginawa ko kahit na sobrang pinahaba ko at parang run-on sentence na yung ginawa ko :))

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ang pamimilosopiya ay ang pagsabi na likas sa bawat tao na

mag-isip at makagawa ng pag-unawa sa Meron – sa madaling salita,

isang paggawang umuunawa at pag-uunawang gumagawa. Sa

patuloy na pag-unawa ng indibidwal patungkol sa kinagagalawang

Meron at sa syempre sa pagdanas niya sa Meron, natutuklasan niya

na ang bawat tao ay likas na magkahawig at magkaiba sa kanilang

buong pagkatao, na ang bawat indibidwal ay nagmemeron bilang

sarili. Ang realidad ng pagkakaiba at pagkakabukod-tangi ng bawat

nilalang ay nagpapahiwatig sa indibidwal ng kanyang pagkatao -- na

may hindi Ako, hiwalay sa Ako na hindi ko masasakop at

maikakahon. Ang pagkakahiwalay-pagkakaiba na ito ay mararanasan

sa pagharap sa Mukha, na nagdadala sa indibidwal sa kanyang

pagpapakatao -- ang panagutan ang kapwa sa pamamagitan ng

pag-akò ng  kanyang pag-akó. Ang pagiging bukas sa pagdanas at

pag-unawa sa Meron ang dahilan upang, kahit papaano’y, lubusang

matuklasan ang Sarili para itaguyod ng mahusay ang ikabubuti ng

kapwa.

Desiderata (Tagalog version)

2008-03-06T19:53:00.000+08:00

I don't know who translated it.. pero mas maganda pala pag Tagalog :p (biased!)

---------------------------------------------------

Humayo nang panatag
Sa gitna ng ingay at pagmamadali, at tandaang
May kapayapaang matatagpuan sa katahimikan.
Hangga't maaari nang walang pagsuko,
Makipagkapwa- tao.
Bigkasin ang iyong katotohanan nang mahinahon at
Malinaw, at makinig sa iba, kahit sa mapurol o mangmang:
Sila ma'y may kanilang salaysayin.

Iwasan ang mga taong maingay at magaspang; sila'y
Nakakarindi sa diwa.
Kung ihahambing mo ang sarili sa iba, maaaring
Maging hambog at masamain ang loob pagka't
Laging may hihigit sa iyo at may hihigtan ka.
Masiyahan ka sa iyong mga natamo, gayundin sa iyong mga balak.
Manatiling buhos ang iyong kalooban sa mga gawain, gaano man
Kababa; tunay itong kayamanan sa nagbabagong panahon.
Maging maingat sa pakikipagkalakalan pagka't ang mundo'y
Batbat ng panlilinlang. Subalit huwag hayaang
Makabulag iyon sa anumang kabutihang mayroon; maraming
Nagpupunyagi para sa mga adhikaing dakila; at sa lahat ng dako,

Ang buhay ay lipos ng kabayahinan.
Huwag magkunwari lalo na ng pagmamahal.
Huwag ding tatalikuran ang pag-ibig, pagka't sa gitna ng
Katigangan at kalungkutan, kailanma'y uusbong
At nabubuhay itong tulad ng damo.
Maluwag na tanggapin ang payo ng katandaan; banayad
Na isuko ang mga bagay ng kamusmusan.
Arugain ang tibay ng loob na sasalag sa mga biglaang
Sakuna. Ngunit huwag panlulumo sa mga guni-guni.
Maraming takot ang dulot ng pagod at kalungkutan.
Sa kabila ng malusog na disiplina, maging mabait sa iyong sarili.

Anak ka ng sanlibutan, tulad ng mga punungkahoy at bituin;
May lugar ka rito. At malinaw man sa iyo o hindi,
Walang alinlangang bumubukadkad ang daigdig ayon sa nararapat
Kaya maging panatag ka sa Diyos, anuman ang pagkakakilala mo sa kanya,
At anuman ang iyong mga gawain at mithiin, sa maingay na
Kalituhan ng buhay, panatilihin mong panatag ang iyong kalooban.
Sa kabila ng panlilinlang, kawalang-buhay at mga gumuguhong pangarap,
Maganda pa rin ang mundo.

Mag-ingat. Magsikap lumigaya.

Sumilao Support Groups' General Assembly Tomorrow (March 7)

2008-03-06T13:55:00.000+08:00

re-posting again from SLB's multiply site. Punta na!

--------------------------------------------

We thank you all for your continued support and prayers for the Sumilao farmers.

We are humbly inviting you and your group to attend the Sumilao support groups’ General Assembly 5:00PM tomorrow (March 7, Friday) at Caritas Manila (Jesus St., across U.N. avenue, near Nagtahan bridge)

The meeting is for EVERYONE (Religious, Teachers, Students, Leaders, Members, Advocates etc) who believes in the cause that the Sumilao farmers are fighting for - MARTSA – March for Agrarian Reform, Truth, Social Justice and Accountability.

Please come and participate in the following:

· Updates on the Sumilao case (with a brief film showing)

· Planning for the next steps

· Eucharistic celebration (6:00 p.m., please bring food offering in the form of canned goods, noodles, coffee, sugar etc. to support farmers’ daily sustenance)

· Candle lighting (on Nagtahan bridge facing Malacanang)

· Unity meal with the farmers (please bring your own baon)

· Solidarity program (groups who want to perform are most welcome with very spartan provisions)

The Sumilao case is not just about the “stolen” 144 hectares but about agrarian reform in general especially because CARP is expiring this June and there seems to be efforts by the powerful to thwart this. Most especially, this is a test case for the universal fight for Social Justice.

Be one with us as we give voice to the marginalized oppressed by the country’s unjust system.

Manalangin. Manindigan. Makialam.

SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN

Make that Change.

2008-03-01T19:28:00.000+08:00

mula sa blog ni Ginoong Roy Allan Tolentino, ang aking propesor sa Pilosopiya:

"I was a senior in 2001, and we sped towards graduation propelled by what seemed (then) a great moral victory. Having taken to the streets and toppled a gangster-president, we were filled with hope and urgency.

The years have jaded me somewhat. After all, the gains of EDSA Dos have been squandered and the moral victory tarnished by betrayal upon betrayal. As I told my Ph 102 class the other day, we Filipinos have become experts of the brusque and of the short-term; coup d'etats and revolutions to-go are our specialty. What we need to work on is our ability to last for the long haul: the slow and steady pace needed for the slow and steady work of development. Patience, consistency, and integrity appeal more to me now than flash-in-the-pan action; energy in a steady pulse, not in sudden bursts."

naalala ko yung sinabi ni GMA na "nakakahiya" kapag magkaron pa ng EDSA 3.5 (di ko gets bakit may .5 but.. what the hey) kasi sasabihin ng mga taga-ibang bansa na napakahilig ng mga Pinoy sa mga mabilisan at biglaang pagbabago. kumbaga, sa instant noodles, tatlong minuto lang at presto! kainan na.

ngunit bakit nga ba tayo napupunta sa ganitong solusyon?

marahil nagsasawa na ang mga tao sa pagsunod sa "tamang proseso" na inilatag ng mga struktura ng ating gobyerno. ang usad-pagong na sistema ng pagpataw ng desisyon sa ating hudikatura at ang samu't saring kapalpakan sa pagpapatupad ng ating mga batas ay nakakawalang gana (fyi: ang Pilipinas ay isa sa mga bansa sa Asya na may pinakamaganda na mga batas. kinokopya ng ibang bansa ang mga batas natin i.e. public policy advocacy by NGOs/CSOs, indigenous people's rights).

nariyan pa ang walang katapusang sinasambit ng iba't ibang Pinoy tungkol sa mga tao sa gobyerno: "pare-pareho lang naman sila.. mga kurakot at garapal. nagpapayaman habang nakaupo." laganap na ang kawalan ng pag-asa. halatang halata naman sa dami ng lumilisan mula sa ating bansa. minsan ko nang narinig mula sa isang mag-asawa patungkol sa kanilang paglipat ng States na "wala nang mangyayaring maganda sa Pilipinas. mas mabuti pang lumipat na lang para magkaron ng magandang buhay."

noong klase ko sa kasaysayan sa ilalim ni Padre Jose Arcilla noong Huwebes, nagkwento siya tungkol sa huling sulat ni Rizal na kanyang ginawa pagkatapos nilimbag ang Noli Me Tangere. ang sulat na ito ay para kay Blumentritt. sinabi niya na kapag siya ay sumakabilang buhay, nais niyang masagot ang tanong ni San Pedro: kung ano ang ginawa niya tungkol sa mga kawalan ng hustisya sa kanyang paligid, sa kanyang lipunan.

mapa-people power man o patuloy at walang katapusang pagkayod sa pagbago sa ating gobyerno, importanteng alalahanin ang ating telos -- ang silbi ng ating ginagawa sa mundo. importanteng pagtuunan ng pansin ang nabanggit ng kahanga-hangang Rizal sa kanyang sulat. may ginagawa nga ba tayo sa mga pang-aabuso o kawalan ng hustisya sa ating bansa? ang kawalan ng hustisya ng diskriminasyon, ng pagkagutom, ng kawalan ng trabaho, ng kawalan ng dignidad.

hindi kailangan maging televised at popular ang pakikibaka natin laban sa mga problemang ito. maaari natin gawin ito mismo sa sarili nating mga buhay. ang patuloy at walang humpay na pakikipaglaban sa mga kondisyon na kinalulugmukan ng higit sa kalahati ng populasyon ng Pilipinas ay nararapat na isabuhay.

hinahangad kong masilayan ang panahon (nawa'y sa aking buhay) ang isang karanasan na nabanggit ni Coelho dati: "..that the meaning of 'injustice will be found only in dictionary definitions and never in the lives of human beings."

------------------------------------------------------------

"I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
....

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change"

- Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson