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.