TIME TO BURST THOSE INFLATED EGOS

The situation in Zamboanga have kept the whole nation perturbed for the past days. We are all praying for a peaceful negotiation to end this crisis. Everyday we wake up anxious to find out if a truce had finally been declared between the two adversaries.

It is so sad to see our men in uniform taking an offensive and risking their lives for the country. What makes the situation even worse, is the scarcity of food allotted for them. It was so depressing to see a picture of three soldiers sharing a meal consisting of one cup of rice and a piece of dried fish (tuyo). Our gratitude goes to good Samaritans out there for donating food for our soldiers. Such is the sad plight of our soldiers, while those in the top brass of the AFP wallow in luxury. ( I wonder what happened to the Garcia and Ligot cases.)

A possible ceasefire could have taken place yesterday, but failed to materialize due to lack of proper coordination and communication, so the government claims. Was such really the case, or was it because the people in charge of the situation and negotiation simply did not want to be outshone by the other? Was it because they belong to different political parties, not to mention that the top two protagonists have set their sights on the 2016 Presidential election?

Does it really matter who will emerge as the hero in the eyes of the people, or is it more important to save lives? After all, the number one criterion is that the negotiator must be someone the MNLF trusts. It could be you, me or an ordinary Juan dela Cruz. We are talking about lives here. What makes it doubly sad is that it is a case of Filipinos pitted against fellow Filipinos. We must remember that the MNLF maybe our antagonists here but they are Filipinos just the same, much more human beings too. We must try to save as much lives as we can regardless of whether they are on our side or on the other side of the fence.

I am sure both the government troops and the rebels do not want to be in this situation either. They also long for peace, but they have no choice but to obey orders from their commanders just like good soldiers do.

To our leaders in government, it is time to make a stand and burst your inflated egos. Put aside your political differences and ambitions for a while, and make saving lives your top priority. Give way to whoever is the better peace negotiator, so once and for all a ceasefire can be declared in the earliest time possible. Time is of the essence and we can no longer afford to lose more lives, be those of our soldiers, rebels and more importantly, innocent civilians.

REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE

Since the election fever started, senatorial candidate and now Senator-elect Nancy Binay had been the object of unsavory remarks by a lot of people.

Her father's seemingly wrong move to thrust her into the political arena (which obviously was the farthest thing on her mind, being a reluctant candidate by her own admission) forced her into becoming a victim of circumstances. As a result, she had been subjected to a lot of character assassination and name calling, foremost of which were: inexperienced, unqualified, trying hard, ambitious, etc., The most insensitive attacks on her person were ugly and "negra", which however way you look at it, is definitely foul. People seem to derive so much joy in seeing others maligned.

For the record, I am not an admirer of Nancy Binay. I honestly believe she is still raw and lacks the qualifications needed to become an "effective" member of the Senate. I say effective because being popular can land you a Senate seat, but it does not in anyway mean you can perform well. Because of these reasons and so much more, I did not cast a vote in her favor, which is the most logical thing to do. My displeasure with her however, starts and ends there.

I am not in agreement with those who resort to name calling, much more if these attacks become too personal. Please take note that the lady was vying for a Senate seat, and not on becoming the next Binibining Pilipinas. So where does beauty and being dark skinned come into the picture? It has absolutely nothing to do with the issue, nor a criterion in order to excel.

I even saw a post on Facebook alluding that if she donned the robes worn by the Senator judges during the impeachment proceedings, she would look like the Black Nazarene. I find that very disrespectful, not only as an insult to her, but lack of reverence to God as well. We should never make a laughing matter out of God. 

It is time to remind people of the golden rule. Isn't this one of the first things we learned from our parents and from school as well? How would you feel if the same remarks were to be said about you? I am sure you wouldn't like it either. So do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you. It's as simple as that.

Also, as a rule of thumb, if you can't say anything nice about someone, just refrain from saying anything at all.

Isn't it ironic that what her bashers and the people who campaigned against her, failed to anticipate, was that they would be instrumental in her victory due to the so called "sympathy" votes? Filipinos always go for the underdog.

With the elections having been done with, let us see what lies ahead. Faced with a gargantuan task of what could very well be one of the biggest challenges in her life, Nancy Binay might just ultimately prove all of us wrong in the end.
  

THANK YOU ST. ANTHONY

I was named after St. Anthony of Padua, having been born on June 12, a day before the feast of St. Anthony which happens to be June 13. My mom was a very spiritual person and had this devotion to St.Anthony (and other saints as well). As a little girl, I remember every Tuesday she would attend mass at the St. Anthony church in Sampaloc, Manila and sometimes I would tag along.

Early on I knew I was named after St.Anthony, which explains my very close affiliation with him, being one of my favorite saints ( the other being St. Michael). My mom used to tell me to invoke his help whenever I have to look for objects / things which I might have lost or misplaced, him being the Patron Saint for lost objects. Over the years, I have been seeking his help and he has never failed me.

About a couple of days ago, I was looking for my passport as I needed to have it renewed. I looked for it in the envelope where I keep my personal documents but it wasn't there. I was sure I kept it there as I had been checking the contents of this envelope from time to time. I searched my other envelopes, drawers, files, but still  no sight of my passport. After being exhausted from searching, not to mention stressed at the same time since I don't want to go thru the hassle of applying for a replacement, I finally decided it was time to ask for St. Anthony's help.  Please take note that I only ask for his help after I have exhausted every possible means to locate whatever I lost.

After only about 10 minutes after I prayed to him, I saw a brown envelope without any label on it. I was curious on its contents so I opened it, and lo and behold, my passport was there. I don't even remember having made a separate envelope for my passport. I immediately thanked St. Anthony for not letting me down again. Suddenly it dawned on me that it was Tuesday, the particular day of the week in his honor. No wonder I got an immediate response from him. I have a feeling that has something to do with how fast he responds. Sometimes, it takes an hour or longer before he grants my requests, but if it happens on a Tuesday, the response is immediate.

I have recommended him to my friends as well, and they tell me that it has worked for them too. I always remind them though, to exert all efforts first to locate what they lost before they ask for his help.

I wish I had the power of my namesake, but since I don't, I could only help people find their lost things by recommending St. Anthony to them.

Try it, you'd be surprised at the result.

WAS IT WORTH IT? ( A Post Script to Holy Week)

"We are the reason that HE gave HIS life, we are the reason that HE suffered and died, to a world that was lost HE gave all HE could give, to show us the reason to live."

Those are my favorite lines from my favorite song "We Are The Reason". A fitting reminder, and my plea to everyone not to let JESUS' sacrifice go to waste.

Last Maundy Thursday, I once again viewed the film "The Passion of Christ". I guess no other movie could ever depict, as the title goes, the passion of JESUS and how he suffered for us, in a more detailed manner such as this. If you really love him that much, you can not help but be moved and shed tears. The flagellation by the soldiers on his lean body was so inhuman and unbearable. I had to close my eyes every time they would torture and whip him with those thick and heavy chains. I couldn't bear to see the blood streaming all over his face and body. With one eye totally closed as a result of the non stop beating, he endured the heavy cross on his shoulder, the weight of which, together with the excruciating pain in his entire body, caused him to fall countless times.

How unbearable the agony must have been for MAMA MARY to witness her son in such a helpless situation. The pain in her heart must have been twice the physical pain felt by JESUS. One of my favorite scenes in the movie, was when she couldn't bear to go near her son as they were watching him from amongst the crowd carrying his cross all the way to Calvary. St John was beckoning her to go to her son, but she wouldn't bulge from where she was standing. Then suddenly, she remembered the time when as a child, he stumbled and fell. She ran to the crying Jesus and said "Do not worry. I am here". This recollection, coupled with her motherly instinct, made her rush to her bloodied son, and on her knees, once again whispered, "I am here".

Although oblivious to the fact that the FATHER's heart was bleeding as well, but seeing JESUS in such a pitiful state, I couldn't help but ask why HE allowed his Son to go thru all the suffering, pain and humiliation. Of course, I know very well the answer to my own question. Don't we all?

The more important question I asked was, if it was worth it. Why? It's because people seem to have forgotten that JESUS sacrificed his life for us. It's discomforting that aside from not feeling any remorse at all,  some people have also taken for granted the true essence of the Lenten season. They even "celebrate" Holy Week by cavorting on beaches, or having out of the country vacations. This is a time for reflection. Can we not devote just one week for him? Would that be asking too much?

A couple of days after Palm Sunday, someone asked me that all too familiar question, where would I be spending Holy Week? I replied, in church, as I normally do. She said I was corny and that would take the fun out of Holy Week. Fun? Are we supposed to have fun while JESUS is agonizing and would ultimately die on Good Friday? In the Christian world, this is a time for mourning. When people who are close to us pass on, do we not mourn their death? Why then, pray tell me, should we not mourn the death of someone who died for us? He never imposed any condition in exchange for his death. His love was so great that he gave up his life to save us, obviously the most arduous way for anyone to prove his love.

So, if by loving JESUS, appreciating and being grateful for everything he did and continuous to do for me is corny, then so be it.

SMC CORPORATE ACCOUNTING REUNION (MARCH 2, 2013)

Yesterday, March 2, 2013, was another red-letter day for our closely-knit SMC Corporate (Head Office) Accounting family. It was our much anticipated annual reunion held at the Blackwood Bistro situated at The Venice Piazza in Mckinley Hill, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

In attendance were a great majority of our alumni who responded to our invitation, plus the presence of former colleagues from other Departments within the Comptrollership Division, such as Property, Insurance, Budget, etc.

The occasion was also graced by the timely homecoming of "balikbayan" friends (Baby Perete, Cenz Alminiana, Girlie Florin, and Manny Senoran). We entice our colleagues residing in other parts of the globe, to schedule their visit preferably during the first quarter of the year (as we normally hold our reunion around that time) so you can join in the fun.

It was time to rekindle the ties that commenced within the confines of the second floor of our former SMC building in Ayala, and lives on to this very day. What a delight to be in the company of friends whom we regard as our "extended family". Seeing familiar faces brought back a link to the past, a tinge of nostalgia and so many gratifying memories about the good old Ayala days. Everyone was busy reliving our glorious past, while at the same time regaling one another on activities and life after retirement.

There was a point of observation however, which I found rather amusing. Whereas the usual topic of conversations back then centered mostly on closing activities, bowling tournaments and the like, now it deals with senior citizen benefits and SSS pension.

The passing of time seemed to favor us though. Everyone still looked pretty much the same after all these years. Traces of extended waistlines, receding hairlines and a few excess pounds (pun intended) were temporarily dumped into oblivion.

A slideshow presentation featuring a succession of photos from Ayala to Ortigas served as one of the highlights of our reunion. Some snapshots in black and white revealed how vintage some of these photographs were. Fragments of the past brought about a mixture of emotions, joy in reliving the precious moments, but at the same time sad knowing we could never bring them back. Wouldn't it be great if there is a button that we could just press anytime to access a time capsule that could bring us back to the past?

Inspirational messages sprinkled with a bit of humor were shared by Messrs. Paco de Liano, Ber Navarro, Ferdie Constantino and Ms. Vicci Tomas and Amor Iliscupidez. First time attendees also gave us a glimpse of their personal experiences.

It was a wonderful and well-spent afternoon, albeit in the midst of the revelry, we can not help but miss our departed colleagues and longed for their company. Cognizant of the fact that time is an integral factor, we encourage everyone to attend and appreciate occasions like these while we still can, because for all we know, the next time around some of us may no longer be here.

In behalf of my tireless fellow coordinators, Glacie Atencio and Bogs Hermogenes, and our special guest coordinator Baby Perete, we would like to thank everyone for gracing the occasion and making our reunion not only possible, but successful as well. We appreciate your having to throw all your cares to the wind and sacrifice what normally would have been a regular "family day" just so you could share the afternoon with us. Special thanks also goes to Philip Albert Felix for creating the SMC Finance Alumni group on Facebook, Philip Bautista for the slide show presentation and Vicci Tomas for the tokens.

Above all, our deepest gratitude to those who generously doled out from their pockets to augment our funds for the defrayal of expenses. I would rather refrain from naming them individually, because I don't want to offend anyone in case a name or two escapes my memory at the moment. Rest assured however that we kept track of these kind-heart-ed souls.  

We look forward to seeing you all again, with God's grace, next year.

Until then, let us keep SMC Corporate Accounting's spirit alive.

Cheers and God Bless.