Tidbits of Life

True tragedies often come with jaw-dropping surprises. Today's hostage-taking situation in Manila tells of the fleeting condition of life, and how violence can escalate into murder and death of the innocents. And it will be a difficult mental work to understand how a bemedaled police officer lost his job, and ended up taking hostages in a bus, and died in the process. Hostage-Taking in Manila 10:00 PM. The Hong Thai Travel bus (owned by Hong Thai Travel Services Ltd.) was about to leave Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila, where the tourists just visited when former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza asked the driver that Mendoza be allowed to hitch a ride. He wore a full police uniform, carrying an M-16 rifle. The driver let Mendoza in, believing that the policeman was on duty. In 2008, Mendoza was moved to the National Capital Region Office (NCRPPO) after a robbery-extortion case in Vito Cruz, Ermita, Manila was filed against him. That same year, he was accused with four othe

Accidents by definition happen rarely. But when a series of road mishaps killing tens of people takes place, we cannot help but wonder, what's going on? Can this be still under the laws of statistical probability? Can this be only a result of human negligence? Or, some dark powers are behind these tragic vehicular accidents that continue to happen around the country. Quezon Pagbilao, 29 August 2010 (Sunday) ---At around 2:30 PM, a CUL Bus Transport vehicle fell of a 12-foot cliff, then into a creek, after its break malfunctioned while negotiating the zigzag Bicol Diversion Road in Maharlika Highway in Sitio Amao, Barangay Silangan Malicboy, on its way from Tacloban (Leyte) to Manila. Five people (four females and a male) were confirmed dead and 39 others injured. [ Sources: "5 killed, 47 injured in bus mishap,"    Sunnex ; Danny Estancio & Aaron Recuenco: "Bus falls into into creek, killing 5, injuring 39,"  Manila Bulletin ] Benguet Sablan, 18 August

It is common to put personal expectations on others especially in our relationships with people. Oftentimes these expectations mirror our own sets of values, even our strengths and gifts, and rarely according to the same conditions available in people to whom those expectations we place. It is through these great expectations that we inevitably are bound to encounter disappointments and regrets. Even with our friends and spouses, the same outcome can be seen happening in invidual lives. Handling expectations this way seriously miss the reality of human diversity. If my values, strengths and giftedness differ even with those in my spouse or friends, how much more those people who I knew much less. People tend to place expectations on matters that, in a specific situation, they themselves can do. But given the same situation, diversity ensures that another person's action or decision differ widely or narrowly. And where a person may be strong in an area of life, another may be weak

It's final. The Filipino people have spoken through the National Board of Canvassers, it would be an Aquino-Binay administration beginning 30 June 2010. Congress, acting as the NBC, canvassed a total of 278 COCs, 107 of which came from overseas absentee voting. Benigno S. "Noynoy" Aquino III of the Liberal Party tooka landslide win with 15,208,678 votes while Jejomar "Jojo" Binay of LDP-Laban garnered 14,465,574 votes. Aquino was ahead closest rival deposed president Joseph "Erap" Estrada of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino by 5,720,841 votes while Binay of Liberal Party won a slim margin of 727,084 votes over Manuel "Mar" Roxas III. The NBC took eight days to complete the canvass. Click the following sources for reports on this historic event.  SunStar Cebu noted assurances from the leaderships of the Senate and the House of Representative for a smooth session and proclamation of winners on 9 June 2010 (Wednesday). Aquino was aware on the grow

Despite the majority of Roman Catholic Christians in the Philippines, Christianity alone has proven incapable of unifying in certain issues the minds of the Filipinos. Our recent elections alone stood as a stark testimony on the incompatibility of what most of the citizenry prefer their next president to be and what the Roman Catholic clergy, as far as their official positions were concerned, chose the "preferred" candidate. While the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) favored the candidacy of Olongapo City Councilor JC De Los Reyes, the Filipinos gave Liberal Party standard-bearer Benigno S. Aquino III an overwhelming mandate, better than any presidential candidate of the country in history. One issue that created such opposing convictions was divorce in the Philippines. Well, the official position of the leadership in the Christian community is against putting into law any semblance of divorce in the country. But if you will ask Filipinos, you can hear a

Article III (Bill of Rights), Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution encourages and guarantees the public its freedom and right to express opinion. And the controversy surrounding the appointment of our new Supreme Court Chief Justice is a public matter that any Filipino has the right to discuss and talk about. The controversial appointment of Chief Justice Renato Corona on 17 May 2010 geared upon the resolution of the apparent conflict between two provisions in the Philippine Constitution--Article VII (Executive Department), Section 15 and Article VIII (Judicial Department), Section 4(1). Art. VII, Sec. 15 states: "Two months immediately before the next presidential elections up to the end of his term, a President or Acting President shall not make appointmets, except temporary appointments to executive positions when continued vacancies therein will prejudice public service or endanger public safety." Art. VIII, Sec. 4 (1) goes: "Any vacancy shall be filled w

The last thing I expected yesterday was to attend a consecration ceremony for two single women to the religious life in the Living the Gospel Community (LGC), founded by Monsignor Frederick Kriekenbeek and located in the parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Minglanilla, Cebu. The sisters who made their perpetual profession of vows--the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience--were Ma. Hazel Lastimosa, LGC and Ma. Dolores La Rosa, LGC. I dropped by the parish church compound simply to visit the Blessed Sacrament and to check on the sales status of MorningSun booklets sold at the parish book center. But then before I even did any one of the above, my attention got caught by an ongoing Holy Mass concelebrated by a bishop (it turned out later that there were two bishops in that celebration) and around 20 priests. A soft and delightful invitation to attend the Mass came into my mind and my response was an outright "Yes!" as I walked into the church pews, joining the ce