2.24.11

One of the few songs that made me cry when I listened to its lyrics is the song “Mas Mahal na Kita Ngayon”. Was I a victim or perpetrator of child abuse?

Mas mahal na kita ngayon higit pa kaysa noon
Mas mahal na kita ngayon at sa habang panahon
Wala akong pakialam sa aking nakaraan
Kahit na ako’ypinagtatawanan
Ang mahalaga’y mas mahal na kita ngayon

Dahil
Di mo na ako ‘tinutulak sa ating hagdanan
Di mo na nilalagyan ng lason ang ulam
At sa gabi pag ako’y tulog nang mahimbing
Di mo na ako tinatakpan ng unan
Di mo na sinusubsob ang mukha ko sa kalan
Di mo na ako sinisipa sa aking harapan
Mas makinis na rin ang balat sa dibdib
Dahil hinding-hindi mo na ako ipinakukulam
Ang hapdi at kirot na sinapit ko noon
Di ko na ramdam pagkat mas mahal na kita ngayon

Mas mahal na kita ngayon, wag ka nang magtatanong
Basta’t mahal na kita ngayon yan ang lagi kong tugon
Kahit di mo nakikita o nararamdaman
Ang aking tuwa ay walang paglagyan
Ang alam ko lang mas mahal na kita ngayon

Dahil
Di mo na pinapakain ng para sa pusa
Di mo na pinipitik ang mata ng pigsa
At pag sinabi mo sa king damit ko’y maganda
Di na masyadong malakas ang iyong tawa
Di mo na ako pinasisinghot ng paminta
Di mo na nilalagyan ng langgam sa tenga
Hindi na kulay dugo ang aking paningin
Dahil hindi na hinihiwa ng blade sa mata
Ang hapdi at kirot na sinapit ko noon
Di ko na ramdam pagkat mas mahal na kita ngayon
Ang mahalaga’y mas mahal na kita ngayon

Dahil
Di mo na kinukuwento Satanista ko
At ang Nanay ko’y ni-rape ng isang maligno
Nabawasan na rin ang bukol sa ulo
Dahil hindi mo na ako pinapalo ng tubo
Di mo na pinapalayas nang nakahubo
Di mo na pinapaligo ng bagong kulo
Medyo hindi na rin ako nagmumukhang bungo
Dahil hindi mo na dino-donate ang aking dugo
Ang hapdi at kirot na sinapit ko noon
Di ko na ramdam pagkat mas mahal na kita ngayon
Kahit nasaan ka man mas mahal na kita ngayon
Ang cute mo naman
Bagay ka sa iyong ataul.
(Hay, salamat!)


REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 26-28

Deuteronomy 26
The remembrance of tithing and the firstfruits!

Deuteronomy 27
The large stone cast in plaster
The remembrance of neighborly covenants

Deuteronomy 28
The extremities of blessings and curses

2.23.11

Today is this piece’s thirty-third birthday.

GUSTO KITA!!!

1.
gusto kita
at alam ko kung bakit
gusto kita kasi
mabuti kang tao para magustuhan.
gusto kita kasi
kapag nagkukuwento ako sa iyo
ng espesyal na bagay,
alam mong espesyal iyon.
at saka tinatandaan mo iyon
nang matagal na matagal.
itinatanong mo pa,
“natatandaan mo ba noong
may sinabi kang espesyal sa akin?”
tapos maaalala nating pareho.
kapag may iniisip akong mahalaga,
sa palagay mo, mahalaga rin iyon.
magaganda ang naiisip natin.
kapag may sinasabi akong nakakatawa,
tumatawa ka.
sa tingin ko tuloy, kengkoy ako!

2.
gusto kita kasi
alam mo kung saan ang kiliti ko
at hindi mo ako kinikiliti doon.
maliban sa konting hipo,
paminsan-minsan.
teka!
pero kapag kinikiliti mo ako
alam ko rin kung saan
kita kikilitiin.
sira-ulo ka,
kaya gusto kita.
diyos ko! ganyan ka ba kasira?
akala ko, ako na ang pinaka-sira
meron pa pala – ikaw!
hi-hi-hi!!!
gusto kita kasi
alam mo kung kailan dapat
maging seryoso
siguro sa makalawa
siguro, hindi na!
pero naku, huli na!
pareho na tayong sira,
matagal na!

3.
lagi tayong naglolokohan.
minsan hindi tayo nag-uusap
basahan lang ng sular.
basta puro lakwatsa.
dadaan tayo sa ilalim ng bakod,
maglalaro sa mga tagong lugar.
kung para akong pusa sa bubong,
ikaw rin.
kung nagkukunwari akong nalulunod
nagkukunwari ka namang sasagipin ako.
kung naghahanda akong magpaputok
ng cellophane,
magugulat ka naman kunwari.
hindi mo ako hinihiya,
iyan ay dahil gusto mo rin ako.
talagang gusto mo rin ako, di ba?
ganyan tayo palagi,
araw-araw.
kung aalis ako,
aalis ka rin.
kung nasa bahay lang ako,
pinadadalhan mo ako ng postcard.
at saka binibisita mo ako.
hindi iyong basta mo na lang sinasabing,
“sige, saka na lang tayo magkita. bye!”
hindi ganoon.
kaya lalo kitang nagustuhan.
kapag sabay tayong namamasyal
tapos naligaw ako,
ikaw iyong sumisigaw para makita ako.
ganito ang sigaw mo:
“hoy, nandito ako.
lumabas ka sa pinagtataguan mo!”

4.
gusto kita kasi
kapag malungkot ako
hindi mo ako kaagad pinapasaya.
minsan kasi, mas mabuti kung malungkot ka.
siyempre, hindi lahat ng oras
dapat masaya ka.
kailangan, malaman mo rin iyong
ibang bagay.
unti-unti.
dahan-dahan.
tapos, bigla!

5.
gusto kita kasi
kapag galit ako sa iyo,
nagagalit ka rin sa akin.
kasi, alangan namang
matuwa ka.
naks!
ang galing-galing mo talaga!
kaya minsan, gusto kitang suntukin
sa ilong!

6.
gusto kita kasi
minsan kapag masama ang tiyan ko,
at saka napapa-“kuwan” ako,
hindi mo ako pinagtatawanan.
sinasabi mo pa:
“nangyari na rin sa akin iyan minsan!”
talaga naman, eh.
kapag nananakit ang katawan mo,
kunwari ako rin.
para pareho tayo.

7.
gusto kita kasi
kapag nakakakita ka ng dalawang bulaklak
tig-isa tayo.
kapag nakakakita ako ng apat,
tigalawa tayo.
kapag tatlo ang nakita natin,
nagtitinginan na lang tayo.
minsan suwerete tayo,
minsan hindi.
kapag nabalian ka ng kamay,
mababalian din ako ng kamay.
type ko yatang sabay mabali ang
kamay natin.
tutuksuhin mo ako.
tutuksuhin kita.
tapos magsisisi tayo pareho.
susulatan natin ng maraming pangalan
ang balot na semento
at magdo-drowing tayo ng tao
tapos ipapakita natin sa iba.
maiinggit sila.
sasabihin nila:
“sana bali rin ang kamay ko!”

8.
gusto kita kasi – ewan ko ba –
pero – lahat ng nangyayari sa akin,
mas maganda kapag kasama kita!
wala akong natatandaang pangyayari
na hindi kita nagustuhan.
sobra, pero totoo iyon.
walang biro.
gusto kita kasi – kasi – kasi
kung kasama kita
ang pasko nagiging february 14
kung meron nga lang tayong drum at saka
torotot, at saka kabayo at saka
trak ng bumbero,
puwede na tayong magparada.
parada ng ano?
ng mga sira-ulo.
tayong dalawa siyempre sa unahan.
naiintindihan mo ba ang
ibig kong sabihin?
kahit na ika-40 araw ng hulyo
o agosto
o kahit na sa kailaliman ng
araw ng mga patay
o kahit na sa sasuluk-sulukan ng
enero
ikaw pa rin ang pipiliin ko
at ako pa rin ang pipiliin mo,
nang paulit-ulit.
ganoon lagi ang mangyayari.
ewan ko kung bakit.
siguro, talagang hindi ko pa
lubos na alam kung –
kung bakit gusto kita.
bakit nga ba?
gusto kita kasi –
gusto kita kasi –
ah, basta gusto kita!

(isinulat sa rizal park, maynila
february 23, 1978)


REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 23-25

A few interesting points:

Deuteronomy 23
On illegitimacy
v2
No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation.

On the Lord’s “change of heart”
v3
No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation.
* Ruth, the great grandmother of the Lord is a Moabite.

On “pagtanaw ng utang na loob”
v7
Do not abhor an Egyptian, because you lived as an alien in his country.

On “ebak” and indecency
vv12-14
Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.

On runaway slaves
v15-16
If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master. Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him.

On earnings from “indecent” profession
v18
You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God to pay any vow, because the LORD your God detests them both.


Deuteronomy 24
On marriage and call of duty
v5
If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.

On justice
v16
Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

On “pautang” and kindness
vv10-3
When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge. Stay outside and let the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. If the man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession. Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God.


Deuteronomy 25
On enjoying the fruit of labor
v4
Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.

On “pakialamerang” wife
vv11-12
If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

2.22.11

This was another article that made the rounds of e-mails during the Arroyo administration.

WALANG KUWENTA ANG PILIPINAS

Hindi ko na mapigilan ang sarili ko. Sukang-suka na ko sa mga nangyayari sa bansang 'to! Walang katapusang corruption, walang kamatayang pangbabatikos, pagbabatuhan ng tae at pagpapa-taasan ng ihi ng mga pulitiko sa bawat isa, walang tigil na imbestigasyon ng kung ano-anong isyu pero wala namang matinong resolusyon, walang puknat na pag-aagawan ng kapangyarihan sa pagitan ng mga partido, patuloy na pagdami ng tamad at tangang Pilipino, patuloy na pakikipaglaban ng ideolohiyang wala namang silbi.

Ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas, talo pa ang septic tank na hinihigop ng Malabanan? Saksakan ng dumi at napakabaho. Kaya hindi nakakapagtaka na ang Pilipinas ang isa sa pinakamahirap at corrupt na bansa sa mundo. Kasi lahat sila bulok, lahat sila walang kwenta. Lahat sila sugapa sa kapangyarihan at sa pera.

ANAK NG TETENG! !$#%Q!&!* @!!!!! KAHIT KRISTIYANO AKO, HINDI KO MAPIGILANG MAGMURA AT HILINGIN SA DIYOS (MINSAN NGA PATI SA DEMONYO) NA MAMATAY NA SILANG LAHAT AT I-BBQ SILA NANG HABANG-BUHAY SA IMPIERNO. SINO’NG "SILA"? EH DI MGA CORRUPT NA GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND WORKERS, MGA TAMBAY NA PILIPINO NA ANG LALAKI NG KATAWAN PERO HINDI NAMAN NAGTRATRABAHO AT HINDI NAGBABAYAD NG TAX, MGA MAYAYAMAN AT ARTISTANG TAX EVADERS, PATI MGA AKTIBISTA, NPA AT IBA PANG IDEOLOGICAL GROUPS NA HINDI NAGBABAYAD NG TAX PERO PANG-GULO!!! MAMATAY NA KAYO!!!

Lagi na lang sinasabi ng mga pulitiko: Ipaglaban ang masa!Tulungan ang masa! Mahalin ang masa! PUNYETA! MASA LANG BA ANG TAO SA PILIPINAS? SINO BA TALAGA ANG BUMUBUHAY SA PUNYETANG BANSANG TO? SAAN BA GALING ANG PANGPAGAWA NG MGA TULAY AT KALYE? SAAN BA GALING ANG PORK BARREL? SAAN BA GALING ANG PERANG KINUKURAKOT NYO? KAMI NA MGA MANGGAGAWA AT MIDDLE CLASS NA BAGO PA MAKUHA ANG SWELDO BAWAS NA ? KAMI ANG BUMUBUHAY SA WALANG KWENTANG BANSA NA 'TO!!!!!!!!!

BAKIT YAN BANG MGA MASANG YAN NA LAGI NA LANG SENTRO NG PLATAPORMA NG MGA PULITIKO EH NAGBABAYAD BA NG TAX???!!!!
F**K YOU! KAHIT ISA SA MGA NAG-RA-RALLYING MGA SQUATTER NA
YAN, KAHIT SINGKO HINDI NAG-RE-REMIT YAN SA BIR! PERO PINAPAKINGGAN BA KAMI NG GOBYERNO? LAGI NA LANG OPINYON NG MASA ANG INIINTINDI NG GOBYERNO. KUNG SINO ANG NAG-RA-RALLY, SA EDSA, SILA ANG NASUSUNOD. KUNG SINO ANG MAS MALAKAS SUMIGAW PERO WALA NAMANG ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION,SILA LAGI ANG FOCUS PAG MAY PROBLEMA. SILA LAGI ANG BIDA. KAMING MGA ORDINARYONG OFFICE WORKERS, OFW'S, LABORERS AT IBA PANG NAG-TRA-TRABAHO AT NAGBABAYAD NG TAX ? KAMI ANG NAGPAPAKAHIRAP PARA BUHAYIN ANG PILIPINAS. KAMI ANG MGA TUNAY NA BAYANI NG BANSA!!!

Tuwing nakikita ko ang payslip ko, nag-iinit ang ulo ko at gusto kong maiyak sa inis. Napakalaki ng tax na binabawas sa akin pero ginagamit lang sa walang kwentang bagay ang perang pinaghirapan ko. Lahat ng pagtitipid ginagawa ko para suportahan ang sarili ko, pamilya ko at ang punyetang bansang to. Ni hindi ako makabili ng chicken and spaghetti meal sa Jollibee kahit gutom na gutom na ko. Nag-tya-tyaga ako sa waffle na tig-P10, o kaya pag may konting pera, junior bola-bola siopao sa Mini-Stop sa halangang P20.

Eh kung yung pera ko na pinapangbayad sa tax ay sa kin na lang napunta, eh di sana nakakapanood pa ko ng sine at least 2 beses sa isang buwan. Nakabili na sana ako ng bagong rubber shoes. Nakapagpagawa na sana ako ng sarili kong bahay. Yung tax na binabayad ko, karamihan nun derecho sa bulsa ng mga corrupt na mga government officials at workers. Habang hirap na hirap akong i-budget ang pera ko, sila naman nagpapakasarap sa mga mansion, SUV's at luxury cars pa ang dina-drive nila, samantalang ako sa pedicab lang sumasakay! P****** INA! PERA KO YANG PINAPAGPAPASASAAN NYO!!!!!

Yung tax na binabayad ko, pinapangsuporta sa mga mahihirap. Saan ba galing ang pera pangpagawa ng housing at pagtulong sa mga mahihirap, di ba sa mga manggagawa na nagbabayad ng buwis! Pero karamihan ng mahihirap, kung umasta kala mo inaapi sila ng sobra. SA TOTOO LANG ‘NO, KAYA ANG MGA MAHIHIRAP LALONG NAGHIHIRAP KASI MGATAMAD! Ang daming mga tambay sa kalye na walang trabaho pero ang laki ng katawan. Eh kung sila ba nagkargador sa pier eh di sana may pera sila. TAPOS WALA NA NGANG PERA, ANAK PA NANG ANAK! PUNYETA! LALO NYO LANG PINAPADAMI ANG TAMAD AT TANGA SA MUNDO!!!!!

Naaawa ako sa mga batang pakalat-kalat sa kalye at namamalimos. Imbes na nag-aaral, dumadagdag lang sila sa bilang ng mga future criminals sa Pilipinas. Hindi ako magtataka na yung batang nakita kong namamalimos sa Cubao, pagkatapos ng ilang taon cellphone snatcher na. YUNG MGA MAGULANG NAMAN DYAN, COMMON SENSE LANG! HIRAP NA HIRAP NA NGA KAYO SA BUHAY, MANGDADAMAY PA KAYO NG IBA?! PAPARAMIHAN NYO PA LAHI NYO! Palibhasa walang mga trabaho at walang pinagkaka-abalahan, kaya nagkakalabitan at nagsusundutan na lang maghapon, magdamag. Sa totoo lang, nakakabilib. Kasi kahit sa ilalim ng tulay o sa kariton lang, nakakabuo pa rin ng bata! Ibig sabihin, maabilidad ang mga Pinoy. Kung gugustuhin, gagawan ng paraan. Kahit sa makipot, mabaho at maduming lugar? SOLVE!

Isa pang mga grupo ng tao na nakakainis, yung mga aktibista, NPA at kung ano-ano pang ideological political groups. Sabi nila, mahal na mahal nila ang Pilipinas kaya pinagpalalaban nila ang kanilang mga adhikain. PUNYETA! EH HINDI RIN KAYO NAGBABAYAD NG TAX! ANG KAKAPAL RIN NG MGA MUKHA NYO! MGA IPOKRITO! MAHAL DAW ANG PILIPINAS AYAW NAMAN MAGBAYAD NG BUWIS! BAKIT MAY BIR COLLECTOR BA SA GITNA NG MENDIOLA AT EDSA?! MAY TAX COLLECTION BA SA BUNDOK?! WALA DIN NAMAN KAYONG MGA TRABAHO! KUNG MAY TRABAHO TALAGA KAYO, HINDI KAYO MAG-RA-RALLY DAHIL SAYANG ANG SWELDO NYO PAG ABSENT KAYO! PAANO NYO MAIPAPAKITA ANG PAGMAMAHAL NYO SA PILIPINAS KUNG WALA NA KAYONG GAWANG MATINO KUNDI MAG-RALLY AT MAMUNDOK??!!!

ISA PA YANG MGA MAYAYAMAN AT MGA ARTISTA, NA NANGDADAYA AT HINDI NAGBABAYAD NG BUWIS. ANG KAKAPAL NG MUKHA NYO! ANG DAMI NYO NA NGANG PERA NANGDADAYA PA KAYO SA TAX!!!! HINDI NYO NAMAN MADADALA SA IMPIERNO YANG MGA KAYAMAN NYO. MASUSUNOG LANG DUN YAN. KAYA LALONG BUMABAGSAK ANG NEGOSYO DITO SA PILIPINAS, KASI MGA NEGOSYANTE MANDARAYA. PATI SHOWBIZ INDUSTRY, BAGSAK NA DIN. KARMA ANG TAWAG DYAN. MGA BALASUBAS KASI.

Sana magkaron ng POLITICAL AND NATIONAL CLEANSING. Alisin (mas maganda kung patayin na lang) ang lahat ng pulitiko at political families sa puwesto. Tibagin ang lahat ng mapanirang organizations at grupo. Itapon sa malayong isla o kaya i-pwersa ng hard labor ang mga sobrang tamad na mga Pilipino. Ihiwalay ang mga bata sa kanilang mga tamad at tangang magulang upang makapag-aral sila at maturuan na maging mabuting tao at mamamayan. Magkaron ng bagong lider na walang political ties at utang na loob sa kahit sino. At higit sa lahat, dapat tax payers lang ang pwedeng bumoto! Kung kinakailangang magka-giyera para magtino ang mga Pilipino, ayos lang. Masyado na kasing matigas ang ulo ng mga tao dito. Gusto ng kalayaan, pero hindi naman handang panagutan ang responsibilidad ng pagiging malaya. Meron daw pinaglalaban na prinsipyo at adhikain pero takot namang mamatay para dito.

Hangga't hindi nagkakaron ng radical change, patuloy na walang kwenta ang Pilipinas at patuloy na magiging tanga ang majority ng mga Pilipino. Sa dami ng nag-mi-migrate na Pilipino sa ibang bansa, dadating ang panahon na minority na lang ng population sa Pilipinas ang may utak. Yung mga magagaling na Pilipino, malamang maubos na. Sobra na kasi silang na-fru-frustrate at na-de-depress sa mga nakikita nila.

Ilang taon pa at aalis na rin ako sa Pilipinas. Wala kong balak na magkaron ng pamilya sa isang bansa na hindi pinapahalagahan ang kontribusyon ng mga taong tunay na bumubuhay dito. Kawawa naman ang magiging anak ko kung dito sya mabubuhay.

Sa totoo lang, broken hearted ako. Minahal ko din ang bansang ito. Pilit kong pinagtatanggol kahit bulok. Nakarating na ko ng ibang bansa, pero pinili kong bumalik. Pero ngayon, ayoko na. Suko na ko. Sayang lang ako sa bansang to. Simple lang naman ang hiling ko. Gusto ko lang mabuhay ng tahimik at maayos. Gusto ko na kahit paano eh maipagmalaki ang Pilipinas. Pero wala eh. Doomed to be jologs ang bansang ‘to. Alam ko marami pa ang umaasa at naniniwala sa pagbabago. Good luck and God bless! Sana tama kayo at mali ako.

REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 20-22

Deuteronomy 20:3-4
Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.

* Never be afraid of battles you fight.

Deuteronomy 20:19-20
When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them? However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.

* For the love of trees

Deuteronomy 21:15-17
If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love. He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father’s strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him.

* This made me smile. How could the Lord even think of this? Does he see an unfaithful husband’s heart?

Deuteronomy 21:23
Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.

* Judas?

Deuteronomy 22:5
A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this.

* Beware cross-dressers!

Deuteronomy 22:8
When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.
* Hazardous construction!


Deuteronomy 22:28-29
If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

* What if the raped woman does not want to marry the rapist?

2.21.11

A favorite among the many e-mails forwarded to me:

SULAT NI TATAY AT NANAY

Sa aking pagtanda, unawain mo sana ako at pagpasensyahan.

Kapag dala ng kalabuan ng mata ay nakabasag ako ng pinggan o nakatapon ng sabaw sa hapag-kainan, huwag mo sana akong kagagalitan. Maramdamin ang isang matanda. Nagse-self-pity ako tuwing sinisigawan mo ako.

Kapag mahina na ang tenga ko at hindi ko maintindihan ang sinasabi mo, huwag mo naman sana akong sabihan ng bingi, pakiulit na lang ang sinabi mo o pakisulat na lang. Pasensya ka na, anak. Matanda na talaga ako.

Kapag mahina na ang tuhod ko, pagtiyagaan mo sana akong tulungang tumayo, katulad ng pag-aalalay ko sa iyo noong nag-aaral ka pa lamang lumakad.

Pagpasensyahan mo sana ako kung ako man ay nagiging makulit at paulit-ulit na parang sirang-plaka. Basta pakinggan mo na lang ako. Huwag mo sana akong pagtatawanan o pagsasawaang pakinggan. Natatandaan mo anak noong bata ka pa? Kapag gusto mo ng lobo, paulit-ulit mo ‘yung sasabihin, maghapon kang mangungulit hanggang hindi mo nakukuha ang gusto mo. Pinagtiyagaan ko ang kakulitan mo.

Pagpasensiyahan mo na rin sana ang aking amoy. Amoy-matanda, amoy-lupa. Huwag mo sana akong piliting maligo. Mahina na ang katawan ko. Madaling magkasakit kapag nalamigan, huwag mo sana akong pandirihan. Natatandaan mo noong bata ka pa? Pinagtiyagaan kitang habulin sa ilalim ng kama kapag ayaw mong maligo.

Pagpasensiyahan mo sana kung madalas ako’y masungit, dala na marahil ito ng katandaan. Pagtanda mo, maiintindihan mo rin ako.

Kapag may konti kang panahon, magkuwentuhan naman tayo, kahit sandali lang, inip na ako sa bahay, maghapong nag-iisa. Walang kausap. Alam kong busy ka sa trabaho, subalit nais kong malaman mo na sabik na sabik na akong makakuwentuhan ka, kahit alam kong hindi ka interesado sa mga kuwento ko. Natatandaan mo, anak, noong bata ka pa? Pinagtiyagaan kong pakinggan at intindihin ang pautal-utal mong kuwento tungkol sa iyong teddy bear.

At kapag dumating ang sandali na ako’y magkasakit at maratay sa banig ng karamdaman, huwag mo sana akong pagsawaang alagaan. Pagpasensiyahan mo na sana kung ako man ay maihi o madumi sa higaan, pagtiyagaan mo sana akong alagaan sa mga huling sandali ng aking buhay. Tutal hindi na naman ako magtatagal. Kapag dumating ang sandali ng aking pagpanaw, hawakan mo sana ang aking kamay at bigyan mo ako ng lakas ng loob na harapin ang kamatayan.

At huwag kang mag-alala, kapag kaharap ko na ang Diyos na lumikha, ibubulong ko sa kanya na pagpalain ka sana dahil naging mapagmahal ka sa iyong ama’t ina.



REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 17-19

Deuteronomy 17:14-15
When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses.
* Premonition of the choosing of Saul?

The Test of a Prophet
Deuteronomy 18:21-22
“How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

For Perjurers
Deuteronomy 19:16-19
If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother.

2.20.11

Still another one of a few noteworthy “copy-paste” articles.

TWENTY ONE

One
Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

Two
Marry the person you love to talk to. As you get older, your conversational skills will be as important as any other.

Three
Don't believe all you hear; spend all you have, or sleep all you want.

Four
When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

Five
When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

Six
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

Seven
Believe in love at first sight.

Eight
Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

Nine
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

Ten
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

Eleven
Don't judge people by their relatives.

Twelve
Talk slowly but think quickly.

Thirteen
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

Fourteen
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risks.

Fifteen
Say, 'Bless you!' when you hear someone sneeze.

Sixteen
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

Seventeen
Remember the three R's : Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

Eighteen
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

Nineteen
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

Twenty
Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

Twenty One
Spend some time alone.


REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 13-16

No turning away from God!
Or else, die!

Deuteronomy 14:1-2
You are the children of the LORD your God…you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.

And of finances and helping the poor?
Deuteronomy 15:1-2
At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD’S time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.

Deuteronomy 15:4-6
However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.

Deuteronomy 15:11
There will always be poor people in the land.

* This is a matter of fact.
So, all anti-poverty stuff comes to nothing?
And should be replaced by poverty alleviation drives?

Deuteronomy 16
The Party Chapter.
Feasts.
Celebrations.
This is what life should be about.

2.19.11

I know I copied this somewhere, but can’t remember where or from whom:

Ang LOVE ay HINDI minamadali. HINDI pinipilit at lalong HINDI kina-career. IT COMES NATURALLY. As in magugulat ka na lang isang araw magiging SIYA ang nasa isip mo. Basta NAISIP mo na lang. Basta. Hindi pinipilit na isipin ha? Mapapangiti ka na lang at basta gagaan ang pakiramdam mo na tipong kahit mukha ka nang tanga eh ok lang sayo, ngiti ka pa rin. Hindi nakabase sa TAGAL ng pinagsamahan. Hindi rin sa DALAS ng pagkikita. Hindi rin sa ILANG BESES na pag-uusap sa phone at lalung-lalo nang hindi sa DALAS ng pagte-text. May MAGIC kasi yan eh. Magic na HINDI naka-cast ng kung sinuman. MAGIC na MATAGAL na palang nandun pero
hindi mo lang namamalayan. Isusugal mo ba yun?! Yung feeling na wala ka ng hahanapin pang iba?! Papabayaan mo bang masira yun?! Wag na kasi kayong magmadali.

Unang-una, PAANO MO BA NASABING MAHAL MO NA SIYA?!? Dahil ba natutuwa ka sa kanya? O kaya naman ay naaaliw ka? Naswe-sweetan ka ba nang sobra sa kanya? Kinikilig ka ba pag nakikita mo siya? At nahi-high kapag naririnig mo na ang boses niya? Eh teka muna baka naman INFATUATED ka lang? O kaya naman, kagaya ng sagot mo BAKA naaaliw ka lang dahil kakaiba siya. May spark na hindi mo maintindihan

Pangalawa, GAANO MO NA BA SIYA KAKILALA? Madali ba siyang mapikon? Paano ba siya ma-bad trip? Madali bang mahalata na may topak siya? Ano bang suot niya pag nasa bahay siya? Shorts ba o pantalon? Nakasando ba siya o naka-tee-shirt lang?
Matagal ba siyang maligo? Kumakain ba siya ng vegetables? Tamad ba siya? Mas gusto ba niyang manood ng tv kaysa magbasa ng libro? Nagpe-play station ba siya? Tatlo ba ang pamangkin niyang lalaki? Makukulit ba yung mga kamag-anak niya?
Green ba ang kulay ng gate ng bahay nila? Sa village ba siya nakatira? May sakayan ba ng jeep na malapit sa kanila? Nagsisimba ba siya linggu-linggo? Kasama ba yung pamilya niya? At nagdadasal ba siya bago matulog? In short, alam mo na nga ba ang mga bagay-bagay – ang mga simpleng bagay – tungkol sa kanya na nagde-determine ng sarili niya as in kung SINO ba talaga SIYA?

Pangatlo, KAYA MO BA SIYANG TANGGAPIN? As in TANGGAPIN nang BUONG-BUO? Sa lahat ng trip niya sa buhay. Sa lahat ng katopakan niya. Sa lahat ng pag-iinarte at pagda-drama niya. Sa lahat ng kasalanang nagawa, ginawa at gagawin pa lang niya. Sa lahat ng naiisip niya, kahit hindi ka kasama dun. Sa lahat ng sasabihin niya. Sa kilos niya. Sa pananamit pa pala niya. Sa pagsasalita. Sa pananaw niya sa buhay. Sa pagtrato niya sa tao, lalo na sa yo. Sa lifestyle niya. Sa uri ng pamilyang meron siya. Sa uri ng kaibigang kasa-kasama niya. Sa style niya pagdating sa love. Sa ka-sweetan niyang natural. Sa paglalambing niya. Sa tawa niyang pagkalakas-lakas. Sa manners niya. Sa pagmumura niya. Sa bisyo niya kung meron man. Sa mga pang-aasar niya sa yo. Sa style niya pagdating sa pagsolve ng problema. Sa problemang maaari ka ring kasama. In short, handa ka bang tanggapin ang BUONG PAGKATAO niya?

Pang-apat , KAYA MO BANG MAGING TOTOO? Kaya mo bang makita yung sarili mo na kasama pa rin siya sa isang sitwasyong pag naisip mo eh mapapaiyak ka na lang sa sakit nang dahil na rin sa kanya? Kaya mo bang magmukhang tanga as in umiyak ng dahil sa kababawan at ibuhos ang mga nararamdaman mo kahit na puro kababawan nga lang naman as in kahit sa harapan niya? Kaya mo bang maging barubal pag kasama mo siya? Yung tipong wala ka ng pakialam mawala man ang manners mo na wala naman talaga. In short, KAYA MO BANG MAGING IKAW KAPAG KASAMA MO NA SIYA??? Yung tipong hindi ka nahihiyang ipakita kung sino ka talaga dahil alam mong HINDI MO LANG SIYA TANGGAP KUNDI TANGGAP KA RIN NIYA NANG BUUNG-BUO RIN.

MGA PIPS!!! TAMA NA kasi ang TRIP. TAMA NA ang pagmamadali. OO, masarap ngang ma-IN LOVE sa isang tao, pero handa ka na ba talaga?


REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 10-12

Deuteronomy 10:12-13
What does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’S commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Deuteronomy 11:10-11
The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.

* I like this. God’s land is maintenance-free, as he maintains it himself.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

Gerizim - blessing
Ebal - curse

2.18.11

I started watching a film called “Vanishing on 7th Street” but I couldn’t keep my eyes from closing not because the film was boring or something like that; it is too early to gauge that from watching the first five minutes of the film but because I was rather tired.

Come to think of it, the stress caused by the “commotion” at home – the hammering, the constant dust, the laborers’ chatter, the calculation of expenses – makes the body and mind grow weary. Yesterday, I managed to select the fixtures that I like to use for the extension of the bathroom. It was a bit exciting having to choose from a load of selections if a bit confusing. Finally, I decided that my bathroom motif will be beige and white. No tiles on the walls save the ones where the bath tub will be installed. And instead of tiles, I will have a large stripe of beige painted on a white canvass.

The color of the flooring is so light, I love it. And the size of the windows will allow more light in the room.

I am over the moon just thinking how my room will look like two months from now.

PS.
Hardin ng Panginoon in the box?


REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 7-9

Deuteronomy 7
In one chapter, two faces of God appear:
One, the seemingly unmerciful face:
Destroy them – Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites – totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.

Two, the faithfully loving face:
The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.


Deuteronomy 8:2
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

* The manna was not only for provision of food, but also for testing: man does not live on bread alone, but on EVERY word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:18
It is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

* Not because of self, but only because of grace

Deuteronomy 9
The leader in Moses is inspiring.
He deserves the gall to tell the people to their face their shortcomings.

This is probably one of the reasons why leadership is not the foremost of things to be desired. The responsibility and accountability attached to it is energy-sapping. And what earthly rewards does one get?

2.17.11

And then of course, Valentine’s Day came and went.
And then of course, I had no Valentine date.
And then of course, it is a given – by choice.

The reminder of a Barry Manilow song plays on.
“No jolts, no surprises
No crisis arises my life goes along as it should…”

And then of course, I am not ready to take the chance again.
Or be taken in by the viciousness of the cycle that fills you up only for a only while and then leaves you deflated and empty when it’s done with you.

Like the cycle of Barbra Streisand’s songs.
Love Comes from the Most Unexpected Places
The Way He Makes Me Feel
If I Loved You
Lost Inside of You
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers
Left in the Dark
We’re Not Making Love Anymore
Some Good Things Never Last
Coming In and Out of Your Life
Someone That I Used to Love
Heart Don’t Change My Mind
My Heart Belongs to Me
One More Time Around
I Finally Found Someone
Evergreen…

Ha-ha-ha!!!

REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 4-6

Come to think of it, was there no one from among the many nations that the Lord ordered put down who was righteous as to call on Him? Or even acknowledged his presence at all?

Deuteronomy 4:7
What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

The only distance between God and us is a prayer.

Deuteronomy 4:15-18
You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below.

Another verse on anti-idolatry.

Deuteronomy 4:29
If…you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Another verse of assurance.

Deuteronomy 5:29
Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!

How the Lord yearns that we yield!

Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

The oneness of God.
The need to be one with God.

2.16.11

The worrying part about house construction, renovation, repair and re-modeling is the bit about budget, and therefore, planning is an integral element of house building.

At the beginning of the year, I had a list of things I like to do for the entire year and one of those things that kept constantly coming up is the renovation of the house. It was suggested that I attach a terrace to room where I can lounge at will and when time permits. But to lounge as time permits seems to be a bit challenging – especially because I do not have much of the luxury of time.

So, I decided instead to extend my room. A terrace may be useful at certain times of day depending on mood of course, but an extension of the room is more practical and sensible as I get to use every inch of the new extension day after day.

I signed an MOA to start the renovation last week. Things are shaping up as I write this. I had gone to Home Depot to check on the tiles and the fixtures that will be used to enlarge my bathroom – a new bath tub to be installed! And this is where worrying about the budget comes in.

You see the extension of the room is pegged at a certain amount, and another budget is proposed for the enlargement of the bathroom. I had to differ with the contractor on the cost of the bathroom because it costs almost half the amount for the renovation of the entire room. And since it is going to be weird to have a new room with an old bathroom, I had to think fast.

One cannot start building a house without first calculating how much money he has earmarked for the project – otherwise the construction might grind to a halt. But I am confident that if I buy the materials myself and have them charge the labor, I will manage to save a little bit on the costs.

After the bedroom and the bathroom, the next project is the kitchen and the dining room.

I am excited.


REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 1-3

The review starts.
Reviewing one’s life is a good exercise because by it, one gets a glimpse of achievements as well as failures, correct decisions and errors, obedience and rebellion, people pleased and hurt.

The Jews stayed in the desert for 40 years before arriving at the borders of the Promised Land.
The journey took longer than usual.
And for reasons we already know.
But in spite of too much heartache the Lord’s love never wavered.
We never lacked anything, even if we intentionally disobey.

Deuteronomy 3:23-26
At that time I pleaded with the LORD: “O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.” But because of you the LORD was angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the LORD said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter."

Why was the Lord too stern with Moses?
What was not being said?
I wonder how many times the Lord has told me, “That is enough!” and I keep on pestering him.

2.15.11

And still another one I like:

Editorial
BRAZEN LIES
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:53:00 02/11/2011


LIAR, LIAR, uniform on fire.

If for nothing else, given the helpless outrage you feel at the bald attempt to make a fool of you and your sound faculties, you’re tempted to resort to schoolyard name-calling when confronted with the recent testimony—sworn testimony, let’s be clear about that—of retired Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot before the Senate.

At the recent blue ribbon committee hearing looking into the massive corruption involving hundreds of millions of pesos of misused funds in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Ligot, the military comptroller when Gen. Angelo Reyes was AFP chief of staff, was confronted with records showing that his wife traveled to the United States 42 times, and bought two houses there, one of which she paid for in cold cash amounting to $183,868 in 2002.

The Ligots are said to own, in all, eight pieces of real estate in the US. On one trip, to San Francisco in 1999, Ligot’s wife Erlinda traveled with Reyes’ wife Teresita, and they were gone for three months. In the next five years, they would travel together 12 more times.

Think about it: Ligot is a retired three-star general. You couldn’t rise to that rank without more than a modicum of brains. He must have distinguished himself in his long military career, else why the stars, the medals and the lofty honorific? As comptroller, he held, for several years, one of the most influential positions in the AFP: guardian and dispenser, no less, of its seemingly bottomless cash box.

You wouldn’t know all that, however (you would think you were dealing with a forgetful old fool, except you knew better) from hearing Ligot’s answers to questions raised at the hearing about his wife’s propensity to travel and shop for properties abroad. And, more importantly, where she got all that money to bankroll her lavish lifestyle.

Confronted with the number of times his wife was hopping in and out of airplanes for extended sojourns in the US, Ligot flatly denied knowing about the trips. He was completely in the dark—because his wife might have kept her trips “secret,” he said. At one point Erlinda Ligot was gone from their home for three straight months, but na-ah, the three-star general never noticed.
The houses? It was the first time he saw them, Ligot claimed. And when he asked his wife, in the wake of forfeiture cases by the Sandiganbayan, how on earth they had ended up owning two expensive new houses in a country not known for giving away prime property just like that, especially to foreign visitors, he said he had to stop the questioning pronto because his wife became hysterical. And that was that—subject closed.

There are two conclusions to be drawn from this. One, Ligot must think his countrymen watching the proceedings on primetime TV are stupid enough to fall for such hogwash. Two, such is the seduction of the charmed life all that illicit hoard must have afforded him and his family that Ligot is now willing to risk public ridicule—the loss of any semblance of logic, common sense and truth in what he says, among the basic qualities that would mark him as fit to wear his military uniform—if only to defend and hold on to that almighty kitty.

Here, in a larger sense, is the true tragedy of corruption: the way it transforms men of erstwhile intelligence and distinction into sorry facsimiles of themselves, unable to account for their deceitful actions except through transparently ludicrous fibs and prevarications.

Ligot’s nonsensical rejoinders deserve to be laughed out of the room. But the matter cannot end with painless, inconsequential hilarity—because there is that other, more pressing, matter: the pesky oath he took before his testimony.

The withering, incredulous reactions by his interrogators notwithstanding—“Even our pet dogs or cats, when they go astray, we look for them. What more if it’s your wife missing,” Sen. Jinggoy Estrada observed—Ligot was reminded not once during his appearance that he was speaking under oath, that everything he had to say carried the penalty of perjury should it prove to be untrue.

That he could proffer such unbelievable excuses for the questionable wealth of his family testifies to Ligot’s confidence that none of his bald-faced falsehoods would get him in trouble. In this country, lying through one’s teeth, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, is a no-brainer.

Well then, beginning with Ligot and his AFP cohorts, it’s high time people like them were disabused of such cozy thoughts.


REFLECTIONS
Numbers 34-36

When the Lord assigned Canaan to the Israelites by designating borders and distributing the land evenly to the tribes, it does make one feel that our own lot in life has been pre-selected with its boundaries and limitations. Does that include what station we will occupy in life, what length, what scope, what breadth, what limitations?

Numbers 35:10-12
When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that a person accused of murder may not die before he stands trial before the assembly.

This is cool.
A man is considered innocent until he is proven guilty.
But in our present time, he chooses his own city of refuge.
Until he is found out.

Numbers 35:20-21
If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies or if in hostility he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person shall be put to death; he is a murderer.

This is the legal definition of what murder is: with malice aforethought.

Numbers 35:33
Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

And in this generation, how liveable it the land?
When too much blood has been drenched to perpetuate humanity?

Numbers 36
Your own lot is your own.
You are responsible to keep it.
You are not to assign it to anyone else.
Your choices are what make you.

2.14.11

Another one I like:

The Last Words of Angelo Reyes

Living life without honor is a tragedy bigger than death itself.

Stonewalling would mean I would have to go on every day of my life or at least a large part of it under a cloud of public suspicion, at least until the case is resolved. Every day as you continue to live with the lie, you lose a little of your self-respect. And every day, as people look at you, you can read from their minds that they find you dishonorable, and you die a little. So if you stonewall—and you have the connections, resources and power to sustain it, and perhaps the thick face to endure it—that would be the preferred option. I have none of these, and so I choose the path of honor.

My honor has been attacked and damaged. I still have a lot of pride and self-respect, and I’d like to come clean to preserve whatever honor is left.

We see plenty of people walking around who have been clearly disgraced in the eyes of the people, and I do not want to join their ranks.

I think if you want to cleanse the system and for there to be justice, it should be applied equally and well. Our experience has shown that those with position and power, support and connection invariably go scot-free. I don’t have any of these.

It is unfortunate that we have a huge canvas here of which, I admit, I have been a part; unfortunately, people are now inclined to make me the face of that problem for their own various reasons.

When I participated in Edsa II, even then I anticipated that something like this would happen when I made enemies both on a personal and official level. In my long years of service, I knew that I would have to come to terms with this enmity some day.
I might not be guiltless/faultless, but I am not as evil as some would like to portray.
To my friends and those who have known me and believed in me, I honestly believe I did not let you down.

I want to assure the (PMA) cadet corps, current and future, that there are plenty of military professionals who have served and will continue to serve the country well. Do not be disheartened by this turn of events. Yours is a noble profession (of arms), and you should feel no shame. I have tried to live with integrity, loyalty, and courage.
In my 48 years of public service, I have tried to live up to the highest levels of professionalism and integrity. Whether it’s my assignment with the AFP-RSBS or with the Anti-Smuggling Task Force, I never received any offers of bribes; in fact, I returned them. In all my assignments, 39 years in the military and 9 years in four different Cabinet positions, I have never had any favorite supplier. Neither have I ever extorted money nor set any financial precondition for the approval of any contract. I can honestly say that I served honestly and well.

We are now in the situation where my honor and the family name are at stake. My family, my children, my grandchildren could say with a lot of truthfulness and pride that in the family, we value honor and integrity. Strength to live it and the courage to face up to the truth. This is the legacy I would like to leave with them.

Honor, truth, but there must be justice. And justice can be served if laws are applied evenly and well—not favoring the rich and powerful. I hope my case/situation will not be used as something that would bring closure to the issue of military corruption. The fight to reform the system and the entire country must continue; the sad part is that they are selectively targeting individuals and institutions.

I did not invent corruption. I walked into it. Perhaps my first fault was in having accepted aspects of it as a fact of life.

While I am familiar with finance, I must admit I had scant knowledge of military comptrollership. Personally, zero experience. Never been assigned as disbursement officer, etc., no stint. It’s a military field of specialization that I do not have.
No system is perfect. The AFP system needs a lot of systemic solutions… And the same might be true of some other institutions.

Tinyente pa ako, ganyan na ang sistema (i.e., “conversion” system, etc.)… I can perhaps be faulted for presuming regularity in a grossly imperfect system. As CS (chief of staff), a big landscape, presume regularity, convenient to ignore it, accept it as part of the system. It’s easy to say, institute reforms after the problems have erupted.

I joined Edsa II at great risk. Jumped into a void. Coming from a place that was high and comfortable. Without any regard for compensation or recognition or reward. I thought what I did —being loyal to the Flag and putting the national interest above all else—a right, but I was faulted for not being loyal to the commander-in-chief, that I should have stuck with him to the end, however that end might be. I stuck it out with the Arroyo administration for 9 years, not under the banner of loyalty; I could have deserted Arroyo, but I did not want to be branded as someone who abandoned his superiors...

When we participated in many military campaigns, I would like to think that I showed courage…

SO...
GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY?


REFLECTIONS
Numbers 31-33

The Plunder of the Midianites
Numbers 31

Balaam was killed.
So were the entire Midianites except the women and children.
But only 32,000 virgins were spared.

Numbers 32:23
You may be sure that your sin will find you out.

The trip from Egypt to the Promised Land took many twists and turns only because of thing: disobedience.

When you think about it, such is the case about our life. The paths become thorny because we prefer to listen to our own voice rather than the leading of the Lord.
We make many stops when all the Lord wants is to keep our eyes on him so we don’t get lost in the many wildernesses of o

2.13.11

This I like.

Former Senior Government Officials Statement
On the Death of Angelo Reyes

The Death of Gen. Angelo Reyes and the
Meaning of
Public Office is a Public Trust

Unlike other cultures, our Filipino culture does not accord suicides by public figures one clear and definitive meaning. Thus the message of a Filipino dying in public by his own hand often ends up being contested, improvised and twisted by various interested parties. And so it is with the tragic death of General Angelo Reyes. Did he put a bullet through his heart in an ultimate admission of personal responsibility for whatever wrong he had committed? Or was his willful termination of his own life a sublime act of protest to assert his innocence against unfair yet unremitting persecution?

The death of someone like Gen. Reyes who served our country for most of his life deserves our respect, prayers and reflection. This is a tragedy to one person, to his family and to many who believed and admired him for his personal, professional and public life. For his fellow Filipinos that Gen. Reyes left behind, his chosen timing and manner of exiting the public stage and this mortal world challenges us to seek some meaning and purpose from such a tragic loss. We, former senior government officials, choose to see the death of Gen. Reyes in the light of the principle that public office is a public trust.

1. We find no honor in a death without meaning to the welfare of our nation.Gen. Angelo Reyes took his own life in the midst of an investigation that exposed the corruption within the command structure of our military, corruption that had tainted him. For whom did Gen. Reyes die? If he died to escape the consequences of his involvement, or to put a lid on further revelations, or worse, to become a sacrificial lamb for all others more tainted than he, his was not an honourable death. The smug faces of unpunished corruption that visited his wake only further dishonour him. If, on the other hand, his death inspires our leaders to finally clean up the corrupt system in the military that ensnared him, he might yet be the last soldier to die in our people's war against corruption. Gen. Reyes may have died by his own hand, but in truth, corruption killed him. As we pray for the forgiveness of his sins, we hope that his blood spilled on his mother’s grave will begin the cleansing of his beloved AFP, the government he protected and the nation he served.

The death of Reyes should not be wished upon anyone, not even the Garcias, the Ligots, and other alleged recipients of military graft, or even their alleged real protectors. That would be unchristian. But perhaps these lost souls in the people's war against corruption should be reminded that moral death is as tragic as physical death. And the suffering will be much longer.

2. The investigation into high level corruption in the military should continue.Gen. Reyes’ death could not and should not be blamed upon our legislators, no matter how hurtful their statements may have been. While more civility and courtesy could mark our congressional investigations, and invited "guests" to these proceedings could be treated better by their "hosts", it must be clear by now that these legislative inquiries serve a vital function in democratic governance. Thus far, the truth about high level corruption has obviously and apparently not been brought forth by agencies charged with this function. Neither the police, the NBI, the Ombudsman, nor the courts have shown any talent nor interest to bring forth to our people the truth about corruption at the highest levels of our government.

Despite their rantings and distractions during these public hearings, our senators and congressmen have been able to put names, faces, numbers and dates to the corruption that every citizen knows infects our officialdom.

We continue to regard George Rabusa and Heidi Mendoza as heroes in our people's war against corruption. They have nothing to be ashamed about in this tragedy. Mendoza has apparently always been honorable in the discharge of her functions, while Rabusa had to confront and acknowledge his own sins in order to retrieve his own lost honor by finally telling the truth.

We ask Commodore Rex Robles and the others who have special knowledge of the facts concerning corruption in the military that they pay their respects to Gen. Reyes by coming out with the truth, rather than expecting others to do their work for them. Truth telling is the responsibility of everyone who knows the truth.

3. Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez must go.The Ombudsman can no longer sustain her pretense that moves to oust her are merely partisan efforts by the critics of Gloria Arroyo. There is nothing partisan about our people's nearly universal desire to have a new beginning in the Office of the Ombudsman. The whole nation wants its government to move along the tuwid na daan and this incumbent Ombudsman is one of the biggest boulders on their way. Everybody wants this boulder out. She no longer has any excuse for trying to stay.

We remind the Supreme Court, and other lawyers, that in deciding the case on the impeachment of Merceditas Gutierrez, their final responsibility is not to search for arcane legal principles that would find fault in the effort, but to join the Filipino people in ridding ourselves of this boulder along our path towards a righteous and just Philippines.
The death of Gen. Reyes reminds us that corruption kills. Most often, it kills poor Filipinos with hunger, disease, disaster or crime because the money meant to help or protect them was stolen. It kills soldiers whose bullets ran out, whose guns fail, whose trucks ran out of gasoline, whose aircraft crashed due to poor maintenance, all because someone stole the money for their needs. Sometime, corruption kills those that partake of its evil fruit.

The death of Gen. Reyes is finally a reminder that public office is a public trust. Those who occupy public office shall be held accountable, by our laws when possible; by public opinion, when necessary; by history, eventually; or by individual conscience, ultimately.


REFLECTIONS
Numbers 28-30

Of Offerings and Vows
Why would God – seemingly egocentric – like to have a host of offerings made in his honor?
To honor us.
Commands are given to rouse obedience.
Only those who obey are blessed.

2.12.11

Why does the subject of relationship click when discussed in forums and even casual conversations?

People like to volunteer a thing or two.
People like to share their two-cents’ (and probably more) worth.
People like to connect with people who can offer something about a common experience.

One question was asked:
If God sees everything, why does He allow people to fall in love and then out again?
That he allows, is good enough and proof enough to know that he loves us well enough to leave us to our own designs.
If he were to stop us from all the crazy things we do to ourselves, would we consider life a drag?

Then again, we bear the cost of our choices.
Good or bad.


REFLECTIONS
Numbers 25-27

The Peor Affair

Numbers 25
Adultery with the Moabites led to the worship of Baal.
Phinehas was commended for doing the right thing: he drove his spear through the bodies of the Israelite Zimri who brought the Midianite woman Cozbi into the camp.
And then the plague of 24,000 death stopped.

Was it love between Zimri and Cozbi?
Was it lust or mere defiance of God?
If it was love, then obviously there is always a choice between an earthly love and a divine command?

Come to think of it, we may be driving too many spears in our hearts because of relationships we commit with people we “love” in spite of what God wants.

Census #2

Numbers 26
Total number of prospective Israeli army circa Moses, not counting the Levites: 601,730!

vv62-65
All the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites because they received no inheritance among them. These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. For the LORD had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

The Hierarchy of Inheritance

Numbers 27:8-11
‘If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.’

* There is always an opportunity to have an inheritance.
* Order – there is always a sense of order.

The Turnover
Joshua is to take over Moses’ leadership position.

2.11.11

The House in Laguna
is
a haven of rest.
Especially in the company of friends
and A New Friend.

ANF is pleasant to the eye.
ANF is suspiciously gentle.
ANF is an epitome of a possible Significant Other.
But
ANF is prayed not to cause havoc.
May ANF be true.
May ANF be sincere.
May ANF be loyal.
And
may ANF not cause too much ripples.

Know however that
ANF is not mine.


REFLECTIONS
Numbers 21-24

Snakes for Grumblers

Numbers 21:6-9
The people grumbled.
The Lord sent snakes.
Moses prayed to the Lord for the people.
The Lord instructed to make a snake pole.
It is called Nehushtan. (see 2 Kings 18:4)
People look at the bronze snake on the pole and got healed.
How so?
They have to believe that by looking, they get healed and live.
Like looking at Jesus on the cross.
Believing that through his life, the sinner gets saved and gain eternal life.

The invasions begin.


The Balak-Balaam Episode

Numbers 22-24
The promise of reward, ergo, bribe makes one lose his discernment.
When God said in v12, “Do not go with them…” was it necessary for Balaam to return and inquire of God again?
Even if God seems to say “Yes” – discern. Is it a “testy” yes? Is it a yes-yes?

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Why be confronted by a talking donkey?
The beneficiary is always beholden to the benefactor!
God blesses those he wishes to bless.
And curse those he wishes to curse.

Greed will not overcome God’s will.

2.10.11

Film of the Week #1
The King’s Speech



What a beautiful film!

How should I sum up the things I liked about it?
It is a story of friendship, extraordinary in the context of a sovereign and a subject.
Who made the royals royal anyway? Are they or should they be any different?
It is a story about duty and never shirking away from it as did George VI.
It is a story of triumphing against adversity.
It is a story of love – victorious even against the throne.
It is very British – the pomp, the pageantry, the protocol.

The performances of Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter are truly deserving of commendation.

An Oscar in the making?


Film of the Week #2
Conviction



When I saw the trailer of this movie while in the US last year, I thought it would be a compelling emotional roller-coaster of a film. It is a story of a sister who “sacrificed” her life in order to go to law school and defend his brother who she believed was innocent of his murder conviction. Nice premise, but sadly – at least for me – it lacked “heart”.

Towards the end of the movie, I had to ask myself – will I go that far to love a brother? I doubt so. I cannot be a Betty Anne Waters.

If anything, I am one who lords it over his siblings, who thinks highly of himself and look down on them, who cannot commiserate with them for their bad choices, who offers very little sympathy for their plight, who considers them burdensome and a pain, who prefers the ever-lengthening distance between them, who, up to now, sadly does not understand the unconditionality of love. And yet pretends he has “sacrificed” a lot.

Why can’t I be Betty Anne Waters?



REFLECTIONS
Numbers 18-20

Numbers 18:20
I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.

* The Lord’s priests are well-provided. But will anything be better than having the Lord as inheritance?


The Rock Episode of Moses
Numbers 20

The Lord to Moses: “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water…”

Moses to the Israelites: “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

The Lord to Moses: “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

The result:
Deuteronomy 34:4
Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”
* It does seem a little bit whimsical but God is God. To whom much is given, much is required.

2.9.11

Sick.
It does feel terrible when you feel there is something in the body that holds you back from doing what you normally would do in a whiff.
I am sluggish; my nose is blocked and runny at the same time.
I have a headache that throbs.
And this does not happen often.

It feels a little bit whimsical to rest, when I know that if I push myself a little bit more, I could probably do most things that I want finished today.
But the opportunity to rest is here.
So I am grabbing it.



While slouched in bed, I caught an episode of Glee – the one that was submitted to the Emmy for the most emotional performance of the gay character, Kurt. His father was in coma after suffering a heart attack. Everyone in the glee club offered spiritual support but Kurt didn’t believe in God. And it was kind of weird hearing characters mouthing script lines that defy the existence of God. Of course, those were just lines – but to take lightly the existence of God somehow offends me. If only people know, really.

The song numbers were appropriately chosen: “I Look to You”, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” which, even if it was a cover of the one sung in the film “Across the Universe,” was quite emotional, “Papa, Can You Hear Me?”, “Losing My Religion”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “What If God Was One of Us?”.

And unashamedly, I thought a shed a tear or two.
I think I should watch more of Glee.


REFLECTIONS
Numbers 15-17

The Sabbath Breaker

Numbers 15:32-36
While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.

* A day for the Lord. Repeat, a day for the Lord.

Numbers 15:38-40
‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.

* What tassels with blue cord must I make to remind me to keep God’s commandments?

The Frustration of a Leader

Numbers 16:15
“Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”

* Let me not rebel against those you have put in authority over me, Lord. I do not want to be swallowed by the ground nor consumed by fire.

How to Ask for Signs

Numbers 16:28-30
“This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.”

* Something supernatural!

* How can such a “chosen people” be so stubborn and hard-headed?
Pretty much like me.

2.8.11

Yesterday’s discussion on adultery was quite well-attended.
And for good reasons.

The prevalence of adultery in this oh-so-ultra-modern time and age cannot be underestimated. But who defines what is moral, amoral, immoral?

Did I really believe everything I said?
If someone is trapped in a sordid marriage that robs him/her of his/her humanity and the celebration of the gift of life, should I advise him to stick with it come hell or high water? Or is it not more humane to tell him/her to choose the path of happiness that he/she is called to enjoy?

That is why it is very important to have that personal bonding with God.
He tells us which way to take.

***

And today, Mary.

I wonder what she thinks – if she still can – when people pray to her and are never encouraged to stop.



REFLECTIONS
Numbers 11-14

The Israelites Complained
(and how dare Moses!)

Numbers 11
vv11-15
“Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”

Moses: “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”

The Lord: “Is the LORD’S arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”

* Teach me not to complain, but to be content in everything you allow to come my way.

v17
I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.

* If the burden is too heavy for me, lead me to people with the same spirit who can share my load.


vv27-29
A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’S people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”


Miriam’s Jealousy
Numbers 12

* Do not give me a spirit of jealousy, but give me humility as I celebrate the status you give me.

Note how the Lord speaks on behalf of Moses:
vv6-8 “When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

Note also what a weakling Aaron is to be swayed by his sister.
Rewind to The Golden Calf episode.


* Teach me to be strong and courageous in the face of discouragement as Caleb and Joshua were.


The Petition of a Holy Man

Numbers 14
Moses: In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.

The Lord: I have forgiven them, as you asked.


The Punishment for a Rebellious People

vv21-23
Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

* Do not make me rebel against you.

2.7.11

Si Kuya Rollie Sa Libing ng Kanyang Ina



Sabi ng marami, hindi raw mabuti na ang mga magulang ang naglilibing sa anak. Masakit daw iyon para sa magulang. Pero hindi naman ito nangangahulugan na mas mababaw ang sakit kapag anak ang naglilibing sa magulang. Pareho lang sigurong masakit. Dahil kapag naglilibing ka ng isang minamahal sa buhay, nangangahulugan iyon na hindi mo na siya makikita, hindi mo na siya madirinig, hindi mo na siya makakausap, at hindi mo na siya mayayakap man lang.

Pangalawang pagkakataon na po ito. Apat na taon na ang nakakaraan nang ilibing natin ang Tatay. At ngayon naman ang Nanay. Nang sumakabilang-buhay ang Tatay, ipinangako ko sa sarili kong pipilitin kong ibigay sa Nanay yung mga bagay na makakapagpasaya sa kanya. Gusto kong malibang siya para hindi niya maalalang wala na ang Tatay – at kahit pa nga wala na ang asawa niya, gusto kong maramdaman niyang hindi siya pinababayaan.

Nagbakasyon rin ako ilang araw bago mamatay ang Tatay. Ganito rin ang nangyari nitong bakasyon ko. Dalawang araw lang ang nakakalipas, at gaya nga ng naririnig ko, parang hinintay lang ako ng Nanay para makapagpaalam. Nagpapasalamat ako sa Panginoon at binigyan niya ako ng dalawang pagkakataon na mahaplos man lang ang Tatay at ang Nanay bago sila makapiling ng Dios.

Pero hindi nangangahulugan iyon na nababawasan ang kirot. Kasi para sa akin, parang maraming kulang. Kulang ang panahon na naibigay ko sa Nanay para makasama siya. Kulang ang panahon para maipasyal ko man lang siya, o maipag-shopping, o mabigyan ng konting kasiyahan. Ang usapan namin ni Kuya Rusty, siya na ang bahalang mag-asikaso sa mga pisikal na kailangan ng Nanay dito habang ako naman ang magtutustos ng mga gastusin. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit gustuhin ko man, hindi ako dali-daling makauwi para mahagod ang likod ng Nanay, o masuklay man lang ang buhok niya, o kaya ay aliwin man lang ng kahit ilang kanta.

Noong nakaraang taon, nang mabalitaan kong labas-masok na ang Nanay sa ospital, gusto ng mga paa kong magdumaling umuwi dito sa Pilipinas. Gusto kong ako ang mag-alaga sa kanya. Gusto ko sanang kahit sandali, ako ang mag-asikaso. Pero alam kong malaking bagay ang maitutulong ng gagastusin kong pamasahe para maidugtong sa buhay ng Nanay. Tinitiis ko lang ang sakit, dahil alam kong kapag nagmamahal ka, natututo ka ring mag-sakripisyo.

Alam nyo, taon-taon tuwing magbabakasyon ako, ang lagi kong dalangin sana maabutan ko pa ang Nanay. Kahit alam kong unti-unti nang bumibigay ang kanyang katawan; kahit alam kong nahihirapan na siya. Minsan nga, naiisip ko rin, hihilingin ko ba sa Dios na dagdagan pa siya ng mahabang buhay, gayung naiisip ko rin – ano namang klase ng buhay ang puwede pang maranasan ng isang nobenta anyos na lola na hindi na nakakarinig, lumalabo na ang mata, nanghihina ang katawan at nakaupo na lang sa wheel chair? Kaya, madalas nagtatalo ang loob ko. Sa isang banda, gusto kong lumawig ang buhay niya at sa isang banda gusto ko na rin siyang magpahinga ayon sa kalooban ng Dios.

Ngayon, hukay na ang lupa na pagbabaunan sa Nanay. Makakasama na niya ang Tatay. At kasama niyang ililibing ang maraming alaala ng kanyang pagiging babae, ng kanyang pagiging anak, kapatid, asawa, lola, at ina.

Marami akong maalalang bagay tungkol sa kanya. Ang kanyang tawa, ang kanyang mga sulyap, ang pag-aasikaso niya sa aming magkakapatid, ang kanyang pagiging Nanay sa amin. At kahit na maaaring pangkaraniwan lang sa mata ng iba ang naging buhay ng Nanay, natatangi siya para sa amin na biniyayaan ng Dios na maging bahagi niya.

Ninety years. Mahaba na ring panahon yun. Katulad nga ng sabi sa isang kanta, ang buhay tulad ng isang awit lamang, mayrong simula at may katapusan. Pero hindi mahalaga kung gaano kahaba o kaiksi ang buhay. Ang mahalaga, ano ba ang napala natin – ano ba ang mga bagay na natutunan natin – ano bang bagay ang maiiwan natin para masabing naging makabuluhan ang buhay para sa ating lahat?

Para sa mga naiwan ng Nanay, ang dalangin ko, sana hindi natin malimutan yung mga magagandang alaala na iniwan niya sa atin. Sana, maharap natin ang mga darating na araw na walang panghihinayang dahil nagawa natin ang lahat ng mga dapat gawin para mabigyan siya ng ligaya.

At para sa inyo na may mga magulang pang kapiling sa buhay, lalo na sa kanilang katandaan, huwag nating ipagkakait sa kanila ang panahon. Kayamanan ang turing ng mga magulang sa kanilang mga anak. Patunayan nating totoong nakapag-impok sila ng mga kayamanan. Samahan natin sila. Akayin natin sila. Huwag natin silang kabagutan o kainisan. Huwag natin silang sigawan dahil hindi na sila nakakarinig. Huwag nating pagsawaan ang mga kuwento nilang paulit-ulit. Huwag natin silang pandirihan kahit na sinasabing amoy lupa na sila. Huwag natin silang bigyan ng ikasasama ng loob sa konting panahon na lamang na ilalagi nila sa piling natin.

Nay, kung saan ka man naroroon ngayon, maraming salamat sa pagiging Nanay mo sa amin. Nawa mapahinga ka na kapiling ng Tatay at ng Dios.

Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.
Pagpalain tayo ng Dios.



REFLECTIONS
Numbers 7-10

The Offering for the Dedication of the Altar

Numbers 7:84-88
These were the offerings of the Israelite leaders for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes. Each silver plate weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each sprinkling bowl seventy shekels. Altogether, the silver dishes weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. Altogether, the gold dishes weighed a hundred and twenty shekels. The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to twelve young bulls, twelve rams and twelve male lambs a year old, together with their grain offering. Twelve male goats were used for the sin offering. The total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs a year old. These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.

* An offering is a must – if only because of expressing our deep feeling of gratitude.


The Levitical Retirement Age

Numbers 8:24-25
“This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer.”

* I am looking forward to being 55 when I can take it easy from work.
* I am looking forward to being 60 when I can get my senior citizenship and the card that goes with it.


The Cloud

Numbers 9:22-23
Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the LORD’S command they encamped, and at the LORD’S command they set out.

* Oh to be personally directed by God through signs!!!

2.6.11

Home.

When you return from a brief sojourn – or come to think of it, when you are still planning to go on a brief sojourn – you become wary of coming back to the task of being doubly productive: you need to mind the work you left behind and you add an extra focus on the work at hand. In the end, the small amount of rest you managed to gain get spent returning to normal. So, why take a break?

Am I making sense?



REFLECTIONS
Numbers 4-6

The Census Continues:
Tent of Meeting Servers
Kohathites = 2,750
Gershonites = 2,630
Merarites = 3,200
Total = 8,580


The Law of Jealousy
Numbers 5:11-22
The law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and defiles herself while married to her husband, or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife.

Is there a counterpart for when the man goes astray?


The Aaronic Blessing
Numbers 6:24-26
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’