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Faith Should Never be Wavered by Hatred Toward Some Priests and Nuns

Posted on Tuesday, 6 December 2016

Faith Should Never Be Wavered
By Hatred toward SOME PRIESTS AND NUNS
By Apolinario Villalobos

It is worrying to note that lately, many faithful in whatever spiritual leanings are becoming more vocal about their hatred toward their parish priest, minister and other church leaders, including nuns. In this regard, their emotion should not affect their steadfast Faith, as they have the liberty to choose which congregation to join. After letting go of their pent up emotion, they should move on. If they do not want, for instance, to see the face of their parish priest, they should attend Mass somewhere else. They have the choice in the meantime, and just go back if another parish priest has been assigned after the hated priest’s tour of duty. If they believe in the power of prayer, they should pray that the hated parish priest be transferred posthaste to another area for reasons that only the Bishop knows. Meantime, I admire the guts of those who openly denounce their parish priest due to his unbecoming acts.

ALL Christian-based churches are monogamous and teach the goodness of the same God which in this regard, even Islam does…. they are there for our appreciation. Hatred should never be nurtured in one’s heart, especially, if it has been triggered by a hated religious leader. In this regard, the Catholic Church should never threaten members with “ex-communication”, just because they love Duterte and advocate sex education. This issue is founded on the glaring choice between: slow death caused by the evil drug and poverty due to uncontrolled sex, especially, among the impoverished… or saving the future of the youth and affording comfort to the financially deprived.

Faith is innately set in our heart, and manifested at the right time through action as dictated by our consciousness as we grow. For some religious denominations, it is dictated by the parents, hence, the baptism of the infant several days after he or she has been born. Other denominations wait until the child has come of required age before baptism is done. For the Catholics, there is a so-called “Confirmation” ceremony for the kids, but I have observed that not a single baptized child has “denounced” the dictated Faith. Understandably, it is because the kids have not yet experienced and observed the unbecoming acts of SOME priests, specifically, their parish priest. As they grow, observations are stored in their consciousness until the time of their crucial decision to attend Mass at another parish, or even move to the fold of any Christian Churches that have proliferated lately, due to spiritual awakening.

All Churches should focus on their spiritual responsibilities and shy away from politics. Special mention can be made on SOME Catholic priests and nuns who join political rallies against the present administration, denouncing the killing of drug lords and pushers. But I doubt if they have ever handed out a piece of 2peso bread to a child begging on the street, or give a 10peso recycled plastic bag to a homeless elderly couple to sleep on the sidewalk or to protect them against the pelting rain. If these hypocrites would say that it is not their duty, but DSW’s as they are corporal matters, then why dip their finger into the dirty politics?  If they insist that the DSW and other related agencies are staffed with paid workers out of the people’s tax, they should bear in their wormed mind that churches live on the tithes or donations of their members, for them to do their spiritual duty. Still, if they tenaciously insist that their conscience dictates that they must denounce Dueterte in front of TV cameras, then…IT IS HIGH TIME FOR THEM TO REMOVE THEIR HABITS (UNIFORM DESIGNATING AFFILIATION TO A RELIGIOUS ORDER OR WHATEVER), AND SHOUT THEIR OUTMODED COMMUNISTIC SLOGANS WITH THE LEFTISTS TO THEIR HEART’S CONTENT. IF I SEE ANY OF THOSE “RELIGIOUS” KUNO ON BROADSHEETS AND TABLOIDS WITH TIGHTLY-CLOSED FIST AND AGAPE MOUTH IN STREET CLOTHES, THEN, I WILL BE OBLIGED TO PRAISE THEM IN A BLOG!

Finally, the noise from these misled and religious misfits (to be clear, only SOME), should not add up to the discontent which peoples around the world are harboring against the Churches, and which even made many of them openly declare their being Atheist. These religious kuno – spiritual hypocrites, are practically leading people away from God by confusing their mind. Their mandate in joining Religious Orders is to propagate spirituality and NOT TO FOMENT UNREST AMONG THE EXPLOITED AND ALREADY CONFUSED PEOPLE.


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Dapat nang Tanggalin si Aguirre bilang Kalihim ng DOJ

Posted on Monday, 5 December 2016

DAPAT NANG TANGGALIN SI AGUIRRE BILANG KALIHIM NG DOJ
Ni Apolinario Villalobos

KUNG SERYOSO ANG DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NA PATANGGALAN NG LISENSIYA SI DE LIMA DAPAT AY GAWIN NA AGAD DAHIL MATIBAY NAMAN ANG EBIDENSIYA LABAN SA KANYA SA KASONG IMORALIDAD. DAPAT AY PASUNDAN ITO NG PAGTANGGAL SA KANYA SA SENADO SA KAPAREHONG KASO. IPAHULI NA LANG ANG KASO TUNGKOL SA KONEKSIYON NIYA SA ILEGAL NA DROGA DAHIL SA MGA NAKAKALITONG TESTIMONYA, AT MALINAW NAMAN NA IBA ANG NASASAKLAW NITO.

KUNG HINDI AGAD MAGHAHAIN NG KASO BATAY SA IMORALIDAD LABAN KAY DE LIMA, SIGURADONG MALULUSAW LANG ITO KUNG HIHINTAYIN PANG MAGKAROON NG LINAW ANG KONEKSIYON NIYA SA ILEGAL NA DROGA SA LOOB NG BILIBID DAHIL SA NAKAKALITONG MGA TESTIMONYA NG MGA SAKSI AT SANGKOT, KAYA PATI ANG KONGRESO AT SENADO AY HALOS NAWALAN NG DIREKSIYON SA PAG-IMBESTIGA.

PAGPAPAKITA NG KAHINAAN NG DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE KUNG HINDI AGAD MA-DISBAR O MATANGGALAN NG LISENSIYA BILANG ABOGADO, AT SA PUWESTO NIYA SA SENADO SI DE LIMA.

NOON PA MAN AY NAKITAAN NA NG KAHINAAN ANG KALIHIM NG DOJ DAHIL ANG PALAGING PALUSOT NITO SA MGA TANONG KUNG BAKIT WALA PANG GINAGAWA ANG AHENSIYA AY GUSTO DAW NIYA NG “MATIBAY” NA EBIDENSIYA. ANONG “MATIBAY” NA EBIDENSIYA ANG HINIHINTAY NIYA PARA SA KASONG IMORALIDAD, GANOONG UMAMIN NA SI DE LIMA AT DAYAN NA MAGSIYOTA NGA SILA?

USAD PAGONG ANG KILOS NI AGUIRRE AT ANG ISANG PRUWEBA AY ANG KAWALAN NIYA NG KIBO SA KABILA NG MAHIGIT DALAWANG BUWAN NANG HINDI PAG-AKSYON NG AMLAC SA NIRE-REQUEST MULA SA KANILA NA RECORDS NG MGA SANGKOT SA DROGA NA INIIMBISTIGAHAN. KUNG HINDI PA KINULIT NG MEDIA AY HINDI NABISTO ANG KAHINAAN NIYA SA PAGKALAP NG MGA EBIDENSIYA KAYA WALA PALANG NANGYARI.

DAPAT SIYANG MAG-RESIGN O TANGGALIN DAHIL HINDI ANGKOP ANG KAHINAAN NIYA SA MABILIS NA PAGKILOS NG PRESIDENTE AT IBA PANG AHENSIYA. HUWAG NIYANG HINTAYING MATULAD SIYA KAY ROBREDO NA SINIBAK SA PAMAMAGITAN NG TEXT.


AT, ANG PINAKA-NAKAKABAHALA AY BAKA MATULAD ANG KASO NI DE LIMA AT ILEGAL NA DROGA SA KASO NG MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE NA INABOT NG SIYAM-SIYAM AT PAGPASA-PASA SA ILALIM NG IBA’T IBANG ADMINISTRASYON, KAYA HANGGANG NGAYON, ANG MGA BIKTIMA AY NAKANGANGA SA KAWALAN.

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Pride and Debacles of de Lima

Pride and the Debacles of de Lima
By Apolinario Villalobos

The hatred of Duterte against de Lima could be traced back to the time when he was yet the mayor of Davao City, while de Lima was the Head of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). The animosity between the two was anchored on the issue of extra-judicial killing cases of drug personalities against Duterte. De Lima strappingly threatened to bring Duterte to court to which the latter dared the former with equal tenacity. The threat of de Lima just became more pronounced when she became the Secretary of Justice. All of these happened during the administration of Pnoy Aquino during which nothing came out of the threat of de Lima to bring Duterte to court.

Unfortunately for de Lima, the guy that she hates to the bone became President. And, although, she won the last seat of the Senate, it was overcast with many questions and doubts. Her winning was purportedly part of the design of the past administration to have a stalwart Liberal representative in the Senate, and there’s no better choice than de Lima who has an intense hatred against Duterte who has plans to run after the shenanigans under the past administration.

With arrogance and pride, de Lima continued to threaten the new President, and this time, she warned that she will be his obstacle in the Senate, virtually, his pain in the neck. As an ignorant neophyte in the Senate, she thought that she has the control of the House, and that the Congress is at her command.  She forgot that at the House, she belongs to the Minority, while at the Congress, there was a massive change of color from yellow to red, right on the first day of Duterte’s first day in Malacaἧan.

Duterte is right all the way when he said that if de Lima really deemed that he has violated human rights, she should have filed cases against him in court while she was still the Head of the CHR, and more especially, when she became the DOJ Secretary. But she did not, and instead, she kept on badmouthing him incessantly.

What de Lima could have done was gave Duterte a chance in eradicating the drug problem in the country. She could have offered her hand for cooperation and reconciliation for the sake of all Filipinos for whom all of them elected officials work. Obviously, her pride stood in the way. And, because of such pride, she is now in a quandary to prove that she did not benefit from the illegal drug transactions inside the Bilibid that overflowed on the streets and further involved even some government and Philippine National Police officials. Now, she has more problems that ballooned beyond her control, than she thought could be handled with a breeze during the good old days under Pnoy Aquino.

De Lima should have taken the handshake from Duterte during his proclamation as a cue for reconciliation, but she did not. Instead, the following day, she let out a barrage of threats. At the time, she was blind to the fact that she was going against a charismatic person who even claims that he won the presidency as part of his destiny. He may be accused of extra-judicial killings but nothing has been proven, yet. As a lawyer, de Lima’s eyes should be opened by this other fact, as under the justice system of any country, a person is innocent unless proven guilty in court.

De Lima was able to hurdle the first obstacle, that of immorality for living in with a married man by admitting, perhaps with a heavy heart, such fault. But what she could not undo are the tangles of other debacles in which her pride trapped her.



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"Tikug" Mats Started my Advocacy in Manila but Nurtured it as a Student in NDTC

“Tikug” Mats Started My Advocacy in Manila
But Nurtured as a Student in NDTC
By Apolinario Villalobos

After my stint in Tablas station (Romblon) with an initial job as Ticket/Freight Clerk of Philippine Airlines in early ‘80s, I was transferred to the Tours and Promotions Division in Manila. For practical and economic reasons, I stayed in a boarding house along Airport Road in Baclaran, as our office was at the old Domestic Airport (today, Terminal 4). During the time, what is now as ASEANA City, was yet, a body of water – Manila Bay, from the seawall of which the famed sunset could be clearly viewed. From late afternoon to early evening, I and some of my co-boarders would spend time at the seawall killing time. We would observe some people dragging their belongings in plastic and tattered shoulder bags while strolling along the boulevard, some were with their family. Before we would go back to the boarding house, we observed them spreading blankets on the grassy ground on which they rested for the night.

The scenes of elderly people and children sleeping on the ground without mat made me restless for several days. When I went back alone one early evening at around 6pm, I strolled up to the portion of the boulevard in front of the Aristocrat Restaurant in Ermita. I saw the same scenes – people lying on spread cloths and blankets on the grass.

When Boy Loquias, a new PAL recruit who was undergoing training at the PAL Training Center at the Gate 1 of Nichols Air Base joined us at the boarding house, I was glad upon learning that he was from Bohol which afforded me the opportunity to speak in Cebuano more often. When I brought him to the then, Dewey Boulevard, he was amazed to find the boulevard sleepers. Jokingly, he said that we better join them rather than spend for the boarding house. Honestly, however, he confided that something must be done to help them and asked, “asa ang SWA?” (“where is SWA?”, for which he meant Department of Social Welfare or DSW). When I mentioned giving them cheap “tikug” mat from Mindanao, he agreed. During the time, a piece of said mat was priced between 40-50pesos at the Islamic Center in Quiapo, unlike today that a single-sized costs between 120-150pesos. “Tikug” mats which are colorfully dyed are made in Cotabato.

From then on, I scrimped on my personal needs to save for mats. When Boy Loquias learned about my plan, he gave me part of his training allowance. Another co-boarder, Sammy, who was a member of the combo that performed at the Ugnayan Beer House, across our boarding house, also contributed. Initially, we were able to purchase 2 dozens of mats for which I was able to get a discount. It was not enough. I raised another amount from my saved per diem allowance, as my job then, required me to travel a lot. I also refused to accept the contribution of Boy whose allowance was just enough for his needs, especially, from Sammy who had two kids left with his wife in Naga City.

My visits to the Islamic Center in Quiapo for purchases of “tikug” mats led to my side trips to “Avenida” known for prostitutes who could be seen prowling the avenue for prospective customers, from early afternoon to early morning, the following day. I was staggered by what I observed and experienced at the Avenida. Daringly-dressed women openly made proposals while holding my hand but which I gently refused. On early mornings, not yet 7AM, thickly-rouged and obviously ageing prostitutes would ask an amount for a cup of coffee in exchange for sexual favor. From such encounters, I was able to strike friendship with many of them that developed into trust which became my passport to their dwellings in the slum along the banks of Reina Regente River. There, I met snatchers, swindlers, sex peddlers and their families. As pre-planned, I did not give them my real identity for my own safety. What they knew was that I was a job-seeker from the province and my thick Cebuano accent helped a lot, as many of them were also Bisaya.

Events oozing with colorful adventures made my curiosity stronger that led me farther to Arranque, Divisoria, Pritil, Malabon, Bagong Bayan (Dasmariἧas, Cavite), Tala Leprosarium, and Baseco Compound where I was able let out my pent up desire to share. It also led me to three other guys who had the same desire and with whom blessings were shared with those dwelling along the bank of Pasig River and Recto yearly, from the last week of November to the first week of December.

My advocacy was nurtured while I was a student of Notre Dame of Tacurong (NDTC) and nobody, even my family and closest friends knew about it, not even my colleagues in PAL later on, except Boy Loquias who was assigned at Tablas after his training, and where he raised his family. It was only when I shared my “adventures” on facebook due to the prodding of some friends, though with much hesitation, that they came to know about them. I just consoled myself with the thought that my sharing such adventures would, hopefully, make others realize that one need not be rich to be able to share blessings with others...and, that they can do the same, if they wish.


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Everything Moves with Time

Posted on Sunday, 4 December 2016

EVERYTHING MOVES WITH TIME
By Apolinario Villalobos

Nothing stays in its place permanently as Time carries everything along its current. However, beings with consciousness and with deciding ability may metamorphose into a higher or better state. Some may just be contented with what they already are…it is a choice. Along this line, ambition can push a person to strive.

While some are in a hurry to move on or up, others who have not learned their lesson take their time which they later regret because they realized, though, too late, that indeed, they cannot move back the hands of time. With regret and envy, they gawk at others who enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice and labor. In this particular situation, I am referring to people who need to struggle in order to survive, not those who were born with silver spoon in their mouth, and who could live more than comfortably even without lifting a finger…they are not concerned in this dissertation.

Some people thought that they can forever be strutting around with a pretty face and physically fit body. They thought that they can invest those physical attributes in gaining friends, even if they will show abhorrent attitude. They forgot that in time, as leaves and flowers wilt, so do the face that gets crinkled with furrows and the body that gets to shrink become humped. Gluta treatments may help but only for as long the physical make up of a person can take them. Meanwhile, the face and some parts of the body have limited elasticity for stretching, and the Viagra can be of help only up to a certain level of ageing. 


Finally, the tenacity of man is such that he practically makes use of science to virtually “perpetuate” life with the use of cloning. From a minute piece of man’s body, another of his kind is given life in a laboratory, and so are plants.  But, even if man and other creatures may live for thousands of years, the big question is, will Earth do?...considering the rate man is practically doing some kind of self-destruction due to pride, selfishness and wickedness?

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Our Gang of Four and "Sharing 2016"

OUR GANG OF FOUR AND “SHARING 2016”
By Apolinario Villalobos

Our gang of four is not involved in any illegal activities, most especially, with drugs. We share blessings that we can afford. We just concluded our rounds of distribution of goodie bags, yesterday morning for the year 2016. We started sharing them as soon as the two in our group arrived from Canada and America earlier than expected which was the last week of November. We are consistent in our plan of concluding our activities within the first week of December. The other member of the group and I are based in the Philippines.

The banks of Pasig River and identified sidewalk-dwelling families in Recto Avenue were our beneficiaries. As mentioned in my earlier blogs, our group strictly follows the rules, such as not giving of our real names, wearing only of the simplest street clothes without jewelries not even wristwatch, and no taking of pictures. Mobile phones had to be turned off as we do our rounds. We talk less and if ever, only in whispers because most of the beneficiaries are still asleep, so we just had to put the bags beside them and leave immediately. We take our breakfast at an open-air carinderia in front of the Post Office (Lawton) where we park the van that we used. Several years before, we used to park the van in front of the Binondo church when it was not yet fenced.

While about 70% of the shared blessings were donated, the rest were shouldered by two members of our group from Canada and America. Without mentioning names, I would like to thank 6 donors from Philippine Airlines who unselfishly shared a portion of their bonus, 2 Philippine-based ex-PALers and 4 based in America also sent cash donations. The two grandchildren of the Fil-Canadian who joined us last year did not make it this time because of the current political condition.

Extra cash had been purposely set aside for the “kariton” (pushcart) project in my care. For this I would look for the nearest source of second-hand materials (wood and wheels) where the recipients dwell. While I have already found a junk shop at Bambang for the Recto recipients, I have yet to find one near Pritil in Tondo. As soon as the pushcarts are finished, the recipients pick them up. They eventually, become their home on the road and storage for junks that they pick up from garbage bins and dumps. Six families have already benefited from this project last September.

For the curious, while the three of us are past 60, the most senior being 64, the Fil-Canadian physician, the youngest in our group is 52. Despite our age, we are thankful that we could still endure the tedious walk from Lawton to the Pasig River, with the trek that starts from Sta. Cruz side towards the vicinity of Divisoria. The driver of the Fil-Canadian and the nephew of our Binondo-based colleague help us all along with the load on trolleys. Just before the sun is up, we trek back to Lawton.


I am sharing this information to show that anything for the good of others can be possibly done, most especially, by praying fervently for them…whoever you are. By the way, all of us in our group of four do not belong to any religious denomination, as we are all Free Thinkers, hence, with heart and mind open to all Faiths.

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Si Jomong...scavenger na may ginintuang puso

Posted on Friday, 2 December 2016

SI JOMONG…scavenger na may ginintuang puso
Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Una kong nakita si Jomong sa F. Torres mahigit sampung taon na ang nakaraan. Malinis at maayos pa ang kanyang pananamit at ang buhok na hindi pa gaanong mahaba ay nakapungos na. Parang napadayo lang siya noon upang magbenta ng relos at pilak. Madalas din siyang ngumiti noon habang nakikipagtawaran. Subalit makalipas ang ilang taon ay unti-unti na siyang naging madungis, yon pala ay sa bangketa na siya natutulog. At, nitong mga araw ay may kariton na rin siya kung saan ay nakatambak ang mga gamit niyang dala niya saan ma siya pumunta.

Nang umagang nagkakape ako sa isang bangketa ay nakita ko si Jomong na tumutulong sa pagbukas ng puwesto ng isang sidewalk vendor. Pagkatapos ay nagwalis siya sa kalsada kaya makalipas lang ang halos isang oras ay malinis na ang bahaging yon ng F. Torres St.

Hindi na masyadong nagsasalita si Jomong at halos hindi na rin ngumingiti, pero dahil namumukhaan na niya ako ay malakas ang loob kong tanungin ko siya tungkol sa kanyang pinanggalingan. Nabanggit lang niya ang isang lugar sa Zambales at dahil hindi ko sigurado ang pagbaybay ay hindi ko na lang isusulat. Sa kabila ng katipiran niya sa pagsagot ng mga tanong ko ay nalaman kong wala siyang naiwang pamilya sa probinsiya. Nagbakasakali lang daw siya sa Maynia pero kahit naging palaboy dahil hindi sinuwerte ay hindi na siya bumalik sa probinsiya.

Kumikita siya sa pamumulot ng mga kalakal sa basurahan na nabebenta sa junk shop. Ang madalas niyang tulugan ay ang bangketa sa Avenida dahil hindi gaanong istrikto ang mga guwardiya doon. Napansin kong totoo nga dahil tuwing dadaan ako sa madaling araw sa Avenida ay nakikita ko ang mga helera ng mga natutulog na mga “babaeng Avenida” na ang tawag ko ay “mga hamog” dahil para silang dew drops na nakikita sa mga bangketa pagdating ng umaga sa paglipas ng malamig na magdamag.

Isang umagang dumaan uli ako sa tinatambayan ni Jomong ay natiyempuhan ko siyang nagpapakain ng isang batang babae na sa tantiya ko ay dalawang taon gulang, anak daw ng babaeng nagtitinda ng “buraot” o junk items sa bangketang yon. Ipinagbilin sa kanya ang bata dahil titingin lang ito sa basurahan ng isang popular na nagtitinda ng sandwich at baka may makitang pwedeng pang-almusal nilang mag-ina. Bumili siya ng pan de sal at kape para sa kanila ng bata mula sa kinita niya sa pagbenta ng kalakal (junks). Bumili na rin ako ng kape ko at ibinili ng Milo at ilang balot ng biscuit ang bata na pwedeng itabi para sa tanghali.

Habang nagkakape kami, tinanong ko siya kung may balak pa siyang umuwi sa probinsiya, ang sabi niya ay “oo”…kaya ang sabi ko sa kanya ay may pag-uusapan kami sa susunod naming pagkikita dahil balak ko ring kausapin ang ina ng bata.