ARTICLES
Ang Elevator at ang Hagdan
Ni Marlon B. Raquel “Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo ipagsisiksikan 'yong sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sa'yo. Eh meron namang hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin.” --BOB ONG-- Si Bob Ong na siguro ang pinakapaborito kong manunulat na Pilipino pagdating sa tema ng kakwelahan at kung papano nya inilalarawan ang araw-araw na pamumuhay ng karaniwang Pilipino. Ang pinakaunang libro ni Bob Ong na nabasa ko ay yong iniregalo sa akin ni Kuya Tata, kaibigan ko sa Davao. Salamat, Kuya Tata! Yong title ng libro ay ABNKKBSNPLAko?! na sinulat noong 2001. Actually, wala akong ibang libro ni Bob Ong kundi ito lang, hehehe, pero balak kong bumili ng kumpletong set. Pitong libro na ang nasusulat ni Bong Ong, yong pinakahuli ay ung Kapitan Sino, published this year lang. Anyway, isa sa mga sinabi ni Bob Ong ay yong sinulat ko sa taas. “Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo ipagsisiksikan 'yong sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sa'yo. Eh meron namang hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin.” Napakasimple yong sinabi niya ngunit puno ito ng makahulugang interpretasyon. Sa literature, natutunan ko na maaari mong i-interpret ang isang pyesa in at least two ways. Yong una ay yong literal na lebel ng interpretasyon at yong pangalawa ay ung tinatawag na metaphorical. Ito ang ginamit ni Bob Ong para maisalarawan niya ang lugar ng isang tao sa buhay ng iba. Maaaring ang tinutukoy ni Bob Ong sa sinabi niya ay patungkol sa relasyon ng dalawa o mahigit pang tao. It could refer to a love triangle, pwede ring love rectangle, o di naman kaya love pentangle. Hehehehe. Person A loves Person B, but Person B loves Person C and Person C loves Person B reciprocally. And here is Person D na may lihim na pagtingin naman kay Person A. Person A is doing everything para lang mapansin ni B but to no avail. Nakatali ang puso ni B kay C. On the other hand, D has these gestures and small kinds of deeds for A pero wa epek ito sa kanya. Argumento ni Bob Ong, bakit kailangang ipagsiksikan ni A yong sarili niya sa relasyon nina B and C? Katangahan lamang ito. Bakit hindi niya pansinin si D gayong alam naman niya na may gusto ito sa kanya? Si D ang hagdang katabi lamang ng elevator na gustong sakyan ni A ngunit puno na ito at hindi na maaari pang gamitin. Masalimuot na mga relasyon ngunit nangyayari sa totoong buhay. It causes grief to both A and D. Mga pusong unti-unting dinudurog, nagbibigay ng sobrang sakit sa puso at isip. Kaya't sumasang-ayon ako sa argumento ni Bob Ong na huwag mo nang ipagsiksikan ang sarili mo kung wala ka nang puwang sa puso ng isang tao. Masakit ngunit kailangan mong tanggapin na 'ang buhay ay weather-weather lang.' Ayon ito kay Kuya Kim. Ibaling mo ang iyong atensyon sa iba. Malay mo, ginto pala ang nasa kaliwa mo. Ayaw mo lang pansinin. At yong kinahuhumalingan mo sa kanan ay bronze lang pala, di ba? Alam mo bang maaari din itong mangyari sa magkakaibigan? ================================================= In Search for A Filipino Identity vis-a-vis Our Language By Marlon B. Raquel If you want to know your identity, you have to go back to your past and study history. That is exactly how modern-day Filipino advocates do today. The Philippines is not exactly the society our ancestors knew 3,000 years ago. We have a system of government even before Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese who worked under the Kingdom of Spain, landed on our soil in 1521. I opt not to use 'discovered' because Magellan did not discover the archipelago at all. There is no such thing as discovery, at least to my point of view. There was merely a meeting of two cultures - east and west. The so-called 'discovery of the Philippines' is a Western concept. Any writer who is foreign may write down the chronicles of our history for his country's advantage. An American historian may be biased and glorify American occupation. A Spanish chronicler like Pigafetta may tell us that it is Magellan who first discovered the islands. Perhaps the word 'Philippines' would not exist today should the Spaniards failed to conquer the islands. The archipelago has been named that way in honor of King Philip II of Spain. We need historians like Renato Constantino who accurately narrated our history from our perspective. For centuries Filipinos are standing at the crossroads. We've been continuously searching for a true Filipino identity. Or we might ask if there's such identity in the first place. Our race has been a mixture of Malayan/Spanish/American/Japanese/Chinese blood. They say that the only pure Filipinos today are the Negritos and Tasadays and some ethnic minorities. Because of foreign influences, many Filipinos choose to become westernized in many ways. Among us are people who speak the foreign language and avoid using the mother tongue as much as possible. Some would feel ackward speaking or hearing someone using his vernacular language or dialect. He has a hard accent, one would say. Many Filipinos abroad are even displaying an un-Filipino manner though you would obviously notice that they are from the Pearl of the Orient Ocean. This is a grim reality each Filipino has to face. When I was in college, I enrolled in two subjects dealing with Philippine languages for two semesters. These subjects were in no way connected to my degree but the university where I came from gave each student the freedom to choose some subjects that the student may deem helpful to him. From then on, I started to appreciate the beauty of our own literature - written in Cebuano, Ilocano, Waray, Tagalog, and other Philippine vernacular languages. My professor, who was then the highest-paid faculty member of the college, showed us his dedication for the preservation of these languages. It is a grave mistake to call them dialects. For this reason, I was able to write poems written in Waray (we call it siday) and some of these were published in our school paper. With the increasing globalization taking place, the country needs to adapt to changes. Madame Arroyo would never use Tagalog when she speaks to Obama, otherwise, Obama would not understand her. But have you notice during summits or conferences of different ministers or presidents? Many wouldn't really care using English. Have you seen the King of Saudi Arabia speaking in English during those meetings? The prime minister of Japan? The president of China? The chancellor of Germany? The president of South Korea? And others? No, they would always use their mother tongue as the primary medium of communication. They have interpreters! But look at those countries, they are among the richest nations in the world. Even during international beauty pageants, contestants from other nations would usually use their native language. They have all the resources to learn English but they choose to speak in their respective language. In countries where nationalism is strong like that of Japan, English is not the primary medium of instruction in schools. Japan imposed Nihongo or Niponggo in almost all subjects even mathematics. Now you begin to wonder what would be the Tagalog equivalent for square root, multiply, quotient, etc. Apparently, these people know the importance of language for national survival. This is their way of communicating to their people that they are united. Language binds societies. There have been several attempts from various groups to educate the Filipinos about the importance of using our national language in different aspects. The University of the Philippines (Unibersidad ng Pilipinas in Filipino), the country's national university, has been at the forefront on these initiatives. The Surian ng Wikang Pambansa (now called Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino), established during the time of President Manuel Quezon, is also very active in promoting national consciousness of the importance of Filipino language. Even the name of different colleges and departments have been "Tagalized." The College of Social Sciences and Philosophy became Kolehiyo ng Agham Panlipunan at Pilosopiya; College of Arts and Letters became Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura; College of Architecture became Kolehiyo ng Arkitektura; and others. The birds of the air told me that there is an effort to change the name Philippines to Malaya or Maharlika. The Philippines may be internationally competitive with the use of English language but we lag far behind our Asian counterparts. There is nothing wrong in using English in its proper place and time but it is a 'sin' to deny any thing that has connections to our identity as a distinct nation. ================================================== Politics and Religion: Can They Mix? By Marlon B. Raquel The issue of politics and religion began to flame recently when religious leaders from different religious organizations such as Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Jesus Is Lord Church, Bro. Mike Velarde of El Shaddai Movement, and the priest-turned-politician Pampanga Gov. Among Ed entered the realm of politics or at least influence their followers in making political decisions. Some say that they should continue their calling as men of God and stop joining the bureacracy. Others argue that these people have the moral responsibility before God and the people and thus there's nothing wrong seeing them actively participating in the political processes. The word 'politics' is almost synonymous for words like government, officials, Malacanang and the like. It its broader sense, it encompasses all the government officials, the bureaucracy, the processes within the bureaucracy, and theories associated with concepts such as elections, laws, and public consultations. Filipinos are not ignorant of these things. Some Filipinos have negative connotations about politics. Marumi ang pulitika. Pare-pareho lang sila, mga kurakot! You can hear these statements from the people who are disgusted with how our government works. Others are a bit positive. They say that there is still hope for the Philippines, that we are destined to have a glorious future. Religion, on the other hand, is considered to be a separate and distinct entity from politics for most of us. In fact, our Constitution specifically states that there should be a separation of the church and state. One cannot argue that religion plays a vital role in Philippine history. Long before the Spaniards came to introduce Christianity in the islands (or shall I say to colonize the islands, siphon all our natural resources and make the natives slaves while Christianizing us), the Filipinos have had a system of beliefs about something or someone that was spiritual in nature and that their lives were being affected by it. The belief of anitos and supernatural creatures was a testimony that the natives were religious. These creatures, whom they considered as gods, served as the guide for the datus in leading their respective community thousands of years ago. But the Spaniards saw this stuff as paganistic, so they did all their efforts to wipe out this system of beliefs and introduced Christ as the ultimate and real God. The colonizers were successful. After few centuries, the Philippines became the first and the only Christian nation in the whole Asia. One thing though that we need to take note here: for the benefit of Christians who separated from the authority of the papacy, I could say that the Philippines is the first and the only Roman Catholic nation in Asia. With the introduction of Christianity, the colonizers introduced Roman Catholicism in the country. Not until the United States of America entered the Philippine Islands when Protestantism was introduced and embraced by some Filipinos. To date, almost 85% of Filipinos are Roman Catholics and the remaining 15% are Protestants and adherents of other religions. Now the question is, can politics and religion be mixed? With the doctrine of separation of the church and state enshrined in our Constitution, the highest law of the land, political analysts argue that they could not be mixed. But what basically this doctrine means? When can we say that there is a union of the church and state and when can we say that there is a separation between the two entities? And why create such doctrine in the first place? During the Spanish colonization, it was the Spanish priests or friars who oversaw the administration of the Kingdom of Spain in the Philippines together with the governal-general appointed by the King of Spain. Being so religious, the Filipinos willingly submitted to the will of these Spanish friars. Disobey their rules and you will go to hell, that's what they say. Those who governed the local communities have the blessings from the friars. Most of the time it was the will of the priests that was followed than the local leaders. Because of the vast powers of Spanish friars, they have abused their authority. The concept of the doctrine of separation of the church and state, based on my understanding, is that any religion whether the Roman Catholic Church or a Protestant church, should not interfere with the affairs of the state. They should not be part of any legislative functions. It is not the duty of the church to create laws for the people to follow. Leave it to our senators and congressmen. But we cannot deny the fact that it is the moral responsibility of the church to guard the morality of her people. Here comes the church now - lobbying against certain bills or for their approval. One example is the Reproductive Health Bill endorsed by Rep. Edcel Lagman and other members of the House of Representatives. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, the organization of Roman Catholic bishops in the country, strongly condemns the passage of the bill. Accoding to CBCP, this bill is against humanity and against the right to life. You will notice that many priests would usually include their disapproval of the bill in their Sunday homilies to persuade their parishioners not to support the bill. On the other hand, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), the largest network of evangelical churches in the country, issued an official statement of approval of reproductive health bill as long as its provisions do not violate the right to life. Can we call this an interference to the affairs of the state? Our country is a secular state. We don't have a state religion. One is free to choose any religion he wants to belong. The state cannot dictate any individual. If you take a look at the old history of Israel, this Middle Eastern nation has a theocratic style of leadership. Theocracy is simply a government ruled by God. There was no virtually separation of the church and state that time. Whatever God told the kings through their prophets they would follow it. In our modern world today, there are theocratic governments. One example is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Islamic laws are being implemented. Any law created by the lawmakers that is not according to Q'uran is being abolished. It should always conform to the standards of Islamic teachings. Is it politically right then for Bro. Eddie to run for a public office even if he is the Spiritual Director of one of the biggest evangelical churches in the Philippines and he himself is a pastor? Yes, just like when Among Ed, a priest from Pampanga, run for the gubernatorial seat in the province. There's nothing wrong if a priest, a pastor, or an imam run for political office. The same Constitution lists the qualifications of a presidential candidate: 1) A Filipino citizen; 2) Able to read and write; 3) At least 40 years old on the day of the election; 4) A registered voter; and 4) Residing in the Philippines at least 10 years prior to the election day. Nowhere in the 1987 Philippine Constitution that says a church minister is prohibited from running. In fact, I know one member of our Congress today who is also a Baptist pastor - Rep. Abante of Manila. Why should we not support a man of God from leading the country? Bro. Eddie is a former activist, the longest member of the Board of Regents - the highest policy-making body of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines where he served also as a professor, an economist by profession, holder of six doctoral degrees, a multi-awarded pastor recognized here in the Philippines and abroad, owner of ZOE TV Network which airs programs in QTV and GMA7, and a broadcaster. Leading a church which has 6 million members worldwide proves that he has excellent management skills. They say we should choose the lesser evil. Why settle for the lesser evil if there's the person who is not evil at all? No wonder why celebrities like Piolo Pascual, Kuh Ledesma, Cooney Reyes, and others publicly support him. I think Bro. Eddie deserves a chance. As long as he does not impose his doctrines to other people especially the Roman Catholics, he has my vote. ================================================= Jealousy 101: A Cancer of the Bone and a Fire That Burns the Soul By Marlon B. Raquel All of us have emotional needs. As social beings, we want to belong to a certain group of people. In the process, we meet person/s who is/are closer to our hearts than the others and whom we consider to be more special than the others. Sometimes we don't understand why we feel that way. From them we draw strength, love, comfort, and encouragement. We are able to build more confidence when we are with them. We love their company. It seems that our life is complete when we talk, play, eat, etc with those people whom we value. However, there is a danger on this. In any human relationship, jealousy is always present at different degrees at some point in our lives. It would depend to the person how would he going to handle it. And i believe to feel jealous on someone is not just common but also natural. However, when we overly express this emotion in a very negative way, the result is not good. We may become possessive. We are hurt when someone becomes close to the person whom we consider our "life". Jealousy is just like a cancer of the bone. Little by little, our mind and our heart are being swallowed up into the dark pit of selfishness. It's a fire that burns our soul. It ignites the fire in our hearts to take revenge, to hate, to envy, to feel mad, to be anxious, to feel alone, to doubt ourselves and even paranoia. When it consumes our thoughts and triggers to harm relationships and harm other person/s, there's really a big problem to deal with. It would weaken our personality. It would destroy our relationship with people. It would destroy our relationship with God. If we fail to deal the problem, this would be a monster in our life forever. Until one day, we will wake up in our beds downtrodden, far from God, far from the people we truly love. Do you want to live in solitude for the rest of your life? I have a suggestion: Become jealous selfishly and manifest it through words and actions. The choice is yours. ================================================= Faith or Religious Fanaticism: The Case of the Feast of the Black Nazarene By Marlon B. Raquel The annual celebration of the Feast of the Most Holy Black Nazarene claimed two lives as Filipino devotees participated in a procession barefooted yesterday in Quiapo, Manila. In 2006 and 2008, two people have also died in each year. I've witnessed firsthand last year's celebration. I was in Carriedo Station that time and I took photos from my phone. Thick crowds filled the streets of Quiapo. People were wearing purple shirts with the image of the Black Nazarene printed on it. I actually saw a group of people yelling each other, including a pregnant woman. There was a rumble. It was good that no one died last year, but unfortunately, two people died this year. I understand the religious fervor my fellow Filipinos have for the statue of Jesus Christ. But at the same time, this leads me to doubt whether their devotion is authentic and is accepted by Jesus Christ Himself. The Philippines is pre-dominantly a Catholic nation. We have been colonized by the Spaniards for more than 300 years, who first brought Christianity, specifically Roman Catholicism, to the islands. The image of the Black Nazarene is a life-sized, dark-colored, wooden sculpture of Jesus which is carried in the streets of Quiapo for a public procession in a Caroza. It is considered to be miraculous by many Filipinos, the very reason why the feast has attracted thousands of people from all walks of life. If you will the procession, you will notice that people are wiping their handkerchiefs to the image with the hope that this would heal their diseases. In recent years, about two million people continue to flock to Quiapo for their panata. I wonder if Jesus Christ Himself is happy seeing people hurting each other while on the procession. The feast has been celebrated for 403 years now and it became part of the Roman Catholic Church tradition, in this sense, became part of the Filipino society. For sure, Filipinos have faith in God. The Black Nazarene symbolizes their daily struggles and sufferings. But we must also remember that being religious doesn't mean God's favor will be upon us. Religious extremism is dangerous. I always believe that the grace of the Lord is unmerited, that's why it's called grace. ================================================== Why Arroyo decided to run for Congress: A perspective from a concerned young Filipino citizen By Marlon B. Raquel Source: http://kingsrebel.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-arroyo-decided-to-run-for-congress.html With barely six months remaining before Mrs. Arroyo's term ends as the President of the Republic of the Philipines, many people are speculating what would Arroyo do (sounds like W.W.J.D., do you know that?) within that period. Of course, she is expected to perform her tasks as president but her decision to run for Congress in 2010 leads people to doubt her motives. She might use this 6-month period to solidify her support in the 2nd district of Pampanga. According to Mrs. Arroyo, she is not yet ready to step down from power completely because she wants to take heed to the clamor of the people, especially from her own cabalens, to run again in 2010. In other words, Mrs. Arroyo is telling us that we still need her. On the contrary, many people don't like her anymore. The public wants her to step down from power which she is not willing to do so. If the President really wants to serve the public in the years to come, she should have chosen to run for Vice-President. It's just one step behind the position of the Presidency. She could serve the entire Philippine Islands as Vice-President. But why Congress? She will only be serving the people residing in the 2nd district of Pampanga if she wins. I'll tell you in the latter part of this article why. If the President really wants to give her sincere efforts to help the entire Filipinos, she could opt to run for a Senate seat. As a Senator, it would be her responsibility to create laws for the benefit of the general public. Again, same question is vital here: why Congress? If Mrs. Arroyo really doesn't have any hidden agenda, she could have filed her certificate of candidacy as a Governor or Vice-Governor of Pampanga. She could serve all the cabalens not just in the second district but the entire province. Same question applies here: why did she choose to grab for a Congress seat? We all know that moves to change our Constitution is still active today in the House of Representatives. In fact, a resolution calling members of both the House of Representatives and Senate to convene in a constituent assembly has been passed to discuss on how they could amend or revise the Constitution. These congressmen tried to ignore their conterparts in the Senate but fortunately, the resolution was just like a mist that vanished right away. I consider those congressmen who signed the resolution as acting like criminals. Many attempts have been undertaken since the Ramos administration to amend the 1987 Constitution but to no avail. There is a need for us to understand what this charter change is, how it is related to PGMA's interest in running for Congress, and why a lot of Congressmen are very excited with the change. The present form of government we have today is presidential, meaning, the leader of our nation is the president. GMA is the Chief Executive. In a presidential form of government, it is divided into three distinct branches, each with its defined power and responsibilities - the Executive, the Legislative (House of Representatives and Senate), and the Judicial branch (Supreme Court and other lower courts). With charter change, the presidential form of government will be replaced with a parliamentary form of government. In a parliamentary system, the head of the government is the Prime Minister. It's either there will be no President at all or there would still be President but he/she would only serve as a ceremonial president. In other words, the ultimate power lies in the hands of a Prime Minister. The prime minister is both the chief executive and the chief legislator. Another feature of a parliamentary form of government is that the prime minister is not elected through popular vote. He or she will be chosen by the members of the ruling or majority party. In our case, it is the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, of which Arroyo is the main leader of the party, which is dominant in the political system today. If in any case, Lakas-Kampi-CMD woul still be dominant in the 2010 elections, they would do everything to change the constitution. If successful, we will have a prime minister by 2013 perhaps in the person of GMA. Still GMA. I am quite sure that Arroyo would win in the 2010 elections as a Congresswoman in Pampanga. She has all the political machinery to use for her campaign. Her party members would then elect her to be the Prime Minister and boom! She will rule again as the head of our government, this time - indefinitely. If in a presidential form the president is limited to a six-year term, in parliamentary system there is no such thing. Arroyo could rule as many years as she wants as long as she has the vote of confidence from her party members. And I think she would be successful in leading the legislature. Remember the time when an impeachment complaint was filed against her. All of a sudden, some members of the Congress received a bag with P500,000 each. Wow! Strategic, right? Until now, no acceptable explanation has been given regarding the issue, so with the rest of the scandals involving the President, the First Gentleman, and her galamays. This is the very reason, at least to my opinion and the rest of the Filipinos who are doubtful with her motives, why Arroyo decided to run for Congress and not for the Vice-Presidency, Senate, or gubernatorial position. Another striking characteristic under the parliamentary form of government is that Senate will be abolished. No more Miriam Defensor-Santiago who constantly bombards erring government officials with her hyphaluting words. No more Senators who are just sleeping in their chairs while the Senate is in session (they're bored). And this is also the very reason why the Senate doesn't want to have a constituent assembly to change the constitution. Although there are countries in the world that have parliamentary systems of government with a bicameral legislature, I doubt that those congressmen will approve it. Personally, I see the need to change our 1987 Constitution. There are provisions that need to be amended to keep pace with this fast-changing world. However, certain conditions must be satisfied. First, it should be done after the 2010 elections. Second, the mode for changing the constitution should be constitutional convention and not constituent assembly. And lastly, the legislature should still be bicameral - with the House of Representatives and the Senate - for a balance of power. With all these scenarios in mind, I totally agree with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's statement that she is not yet ready to step down from power because whether or not she admit it, she wants to become a prime minister in the country. And again, this is just my opinion. ================================================= God’s Plan for You: A Future of Success Filled with Hope By Marlon B. Raquel Volume I, Issue I, The Living Water When Pastor Larry Tomines invited me to speak during the 3rd Monthly Students‘ Fellowship at C5 Annex Campus on August 22, 2011, I was hesi-tant at first to accept the invitation so I prayed to the Lord what shall I do. I knew from the start that God would use me to share His words to our students at C5 so I then accepted it eventually. I used the verse written in Jeremiah 29:11 – my favourite Biblical verse. Let me quote it in three different versions and in two languages. ―For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.‖ –New International Version ―I will bless you with a future filled with hope – a future of success, not of suffering.‖ –Contemporary English Version ―Ako lamang ang nakaaalam ng mga panukalang inihahanda ko para sa ikabubuti ninyo, at para dulutan kayo ng pag-asa sa hinaharap.‖ –Tagalog Popular Version What a beautiful verse! From this verse, I started to share three insights that God had impressed me. First is that as Christians, there is a presence of relationship between God and us. When we talk of relationship, we always think of two persons understanding each other. You cannot share sensitive things to a person unless he or she is your friend, a trusted friend. Likewise, parents of our friends cannot make plans for our fu-ture. It is only our parents who think and plan for our success in the future. So when God tells you that He has plans for you, be joyful! It means that God considers you as His son or daughter. Are there times you feel like no one cares for you? Are there times when you realize that no one understands you as you go to bed? And as you leave your home, you always think that your life is going nowhere? My friend, you are one of the most privileged individuals in the world. God is speaking to you right now. He talks to you because you are important to Him. God is fully aware that there is a relationship that ex-ists between you and Him, therefore, you must also realize that this relationship entitles you to confide to God your deep-est secrets, your happy moments with your friends, your frustrations with your mother who always nags at you, or your frustrations with your studies. Your relationship with the Lord is the most important thing you can have in this ephemeral world. Second, God prepares plans for us. He thinks of our future. God is the Lord not just in the ancient times, not just today, but of the future as well. Being His child entitles you of many benefits. It is Him Who plans for your future. God designs the blueprint to which we must follow. A captain of a ship has a compass which guides him as his ship sails in the seas. A tourist has a map which shows directions of different places. Like-wise, God‘s plan is your roadmap to success. No matter how you exert all your efforts doing everything to achieve success in life, if you put God aside, that would be meaningless. It is comforting to know that there is someone who is thinking of your future. I remember few years ago when I was in my fourth year in high school, my father told me that I wouldn‘t be able to enter college because of financial difficulties. I could not accept what I heard from him. I knew from my heart that my father wanted me to get a college degree but he couldn‘t help me. That was the time when I started to attend Bible studies con-ducted in my boarding house and I started to hear the word of the Lord for the first time in my life. So I said, ―Lord, if you really exist and that you really know the needs of my family, you will not forget me. You will let me enter college and get a college degree.‖ Alas, God heard my prayers! I had encountered a lot of trials and problems as a student but that did not hinder me from achieving my dreams. There were countless school days when I attended my classes without taking break-fasts. I deliberately skipped lunch meals just to save several pesos which I would eventually use for photocopies of my readings. It was a sacrifice but I constantly held on to the promise of God that ―He will never leave me nor forsake me.‖ You can do the same. Why should you believe? Because God says so, and when He says a promise I am confident that He will going to fulfill that in your life. God thinks of your future and makes plans for it. It is up to you to materialize it. It is true that God thinks and plans for our future but He needs your cooperation. Would you willing to help God fulfil His promises in your life? And lastly, God’s plans are made to prosper you and give you hope in life. When a child asks for bread, would a parent give him a snake? No. There is no parent in this world that would do that unless the parent is crazy enough. Your parent‘s plans for you are for your own good. They are designed for your success. If you question your parents, come to think of this: Why are you here in the first place? It is because your parents think of your future, plan for your future, and give you a chance to experience the goodness of life. This is exactly what God does for us. His plans are made for your prosperity, not to harm you. By making sacrifices in your studies in this institution, you are making your parents happy. Make your mama and your papa proud. Life is not easy in this world, no matter how we relate well with our friends and neighbors. What God promised is that every time we feel the burden and it seems that we cannot hold it any longer, He is there to carry that burden and yes, even us, He can carry. Remember the story of the footsteps in the sand. We are who we are today because of the choices we have made in the past. We will become who will be in the future be-cause of the choices we will make today. If we are clear with ourselves that we are students of God, then there is nothing to worry. Just as we are able to confidently share our happy moments and frustrations with our best friends without condemnation, we can share to God whatever we would like to tell Him. He has magnificent plans for our lives. These plans are made to prosper us. He is thinking for our future – the very hope of our lives. Let us help ourselves realize these plans. If you enjoy being absent in classes or you always cut classes, stop that. Do not give your parents and your professors a headache. If you feel the urge to cheat during quizzes and exams, you better straighten yourself up. It‘s better to get zero with a clear conscience than getting a perfect score by using evil means. If you see your-self as a useless man or woman, common, get your mirror and look at the reflection in the mirror. Tell yourself this way, ―I am a precious creation of the perfect hands of the Lord. God is preparing for my bright future filled with hope. I will survive. I can overcome whatever onslaughts this life may bring. With God, I will soar above my dreams and expectations.‖ Life can be frustrating; it is full of pain and suffering. But the moment you realize that life itself is also a honey, you will soon discover how sweet it is to live. –END- ================================================= Take Risks, Let Go, and Trust By Marlon B. Raquel Last Sunday, I attended the worship service at Word Community Church in Pasig City with some of my friends. I couldn't remember the specific topic the pastor had preached but there were three things that stick to my mind: take risk, let go, and trust. These things were not the much-emphasized things during the preaching but these were included in the Power point presentation. Let me just present here my thoughts about these things. All of these seem to be commands or requests. By taking risks, we are opening ourselves to change. It is the accepting of the need for change and it is taking the behavioral steps that will result in that change. Almost for two years that I really struggled in taking the risk to change. My heart says "I need to change! I want to be changed!" But I was simply afraid to undergo changes. Taking risks exposes one's self into the light. It means that we heartily accept the consequences of our actions. You are gambling relationships or people. I know what actions are required to do. I have had fears because those actions would definitely affect others negatively. And it made me feel guilty. Letting go is more difficult to do, right? We want to cling more on persons and on our relationships with them that we don't want them to lose. We tend to be defensive. We're afraid to sacrifice our time and our ability to make the circumstances better. But this is exactly what God wants for us. And it's really hard. But we have to obey if we want to be changed. Trusting is the ability not to worry of what might happen after you take the risks and let go of certain things or relationships. It is a demonstration of your trust in the other person's willingness to accept an honest, open, and upfront approach to resolving the conflict. It is believing in God's promise that He is ready to help you in your problems. Trust is the absence of worry, an absence of fear in your heart. Take risk, let go, and trust. |
COLLEGE NEWS
16 TFVC C5 Outstanding Second Year Students Awarded
By Marlon B. Raquel Volume I, Issue I, The Living Water Sixteen second year college students of The Fisher Valley College C5 Annex Campus met the required Grade Point Average (GPA) in order to be qualified as Outstanding Students for 1st Semes-ter, A. Y. 2011-2012 as revealed by Prof. Marianne A. Mojar, C5 Annex Administrator. Four outstanding students are from the Department of Business Administration and Accountancy headed by Prof. Ofelia Buenafe. They are Jocelyn Tolen-tino with Grade Point Average of 1.37, Katherine Garganera, 1.41, Gelardine Aldema, 1.46, and Rosela Mabalot, 1.65. The Department of Education, headed by DOE Advisers Prof. Marve Lakam-puenga and Prof. Jannet Calica, has three awardees, namely, Jona Rose Escopel, 1.55, May Ann Campos, 1.66, and Elbe Rebutazo, 1.98. Meanwhile, nine awardees are from the Department of Computer Studies. They are Vanessa Talavera with a GPA of 1.56, Glebeth Mae Alferez, 1.63, Jovelin Velasquez, 1.75, Leah Docallos, 1.76, Nelijan Emia, 1.77, Nickymar Sem-brano, 1.91, Ronalyn Prugelio, 1.95, Rose Ann Pereira, 2.02, and Anthea Tandoc, 2.02. DCS‘ Department Head is Engr. Reagan Ricafort. The students were given Certificates of Recognition signed by Mrs. Kate L. Osorio, Acting College Director/College Registrar, Prof. Marianne A. Mojar, and the respective Department Heads. ================================================= DCS Acquired New Sets of Computers for the Computer Laboratory By Marlon B. Raquel Volume I, Issue I, The Living Water ‘Upgraded computer laboratory would encourage our students, especially those who are enrolled in computer and information technology courses, to study more and hone their computer skills,‘ said Engr. Reagan Ricafort, De-partment Head of the Department of Computer Studies, when asked about the new acquisition of seven (7) com-puter sets for the laboratory on March 20, 2012. Currently, there are 40 computers in Main and C5 Annex Campuses. The additional units will make the total number of computer sets to 47 computers. The TFVC management, through its President and Chairman of the Board, Atty. Ronald R. Yap allotted an amount for the purchase of new computer sets. ================================================ TFVC Alumna, Others Successfully Passed the September 2011 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) By Marlon B. Raquel Volume I, Issue I, The Living Water Jobelle Luna, an alumna of The Fisher Valley College, successfully passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) - Elementary Level administered by the Professional Regulation Com-mission (PRC) on September 25, 2011. Melinda Bassig, who took up Certificate in Teaching program at TFVC, also passed the said examination. Other five (5) successful examinees who are currently teaching in TFVC are Aldrin Cortez, Gladys Dantes, Lea Rowena Cabugon, Jemiro Ann Simbu-lan, and Randolf Tuazon. PRC announced that 10,243 out of 45,171 examinees passed the licensure exam conducted in 18 testing centers all over the Philippines, or an equivalent of 22.68% passing rate. Members of the Board of Professional Teachers who gave the licensure ex-amination are Dr. Faith M. Bachiller, Chairman; Dr. Reynaldo T. Peña and Dr. Jesus L. Nieves, Members. ================================================ TFVC Successfully Conducted Its 2nd NSTP Graduation and Awarding Ceremony By Marlon B. Raquel Volume I, Issue I, The Living Water The 2nd National Service Training Program (NSTP) Graduation and Awarding Ceremony was successfully conducted on March 23, 2012 at the TFVC Quadrangle of The Fisher Valley College Main Campus. Organ-ized by NSTP Advisers, namely, Profs. Reagan Ricafort, Ofelia Buenafe, Marve Lakampuenga, Albert dela Cruz, and Marlon Raquel, the simple graduation rite was attended by department heads, college faculty mem-bers, and NSTP students from all courses both in Main and C5 Annex campuses. Mrs. Kate L. Osorio, Acting College Director and College Registrar, gave an inspirational message to all NSTP graduates. She emphasized the role of NSTP students in nation-building. Ms. Juliet Maluyo, an HRM student from C5 who represented all NSTP graduates, gave her speech about leadership. Certificates of Completion were distributed during the program. Meanwhile, eight students were Leadership Awardees who received Certificates of Recognition and Gold Medals. The Leadership Awardees were Juliet Maluyo, Arman Lacanlale, Laila Remot, John Donald Mata, Riominafe Parazo, Ma. Concepcion Medina, and Marck Anthony Avila. =============================================== Batch 2012 IT graduate is TFVC’s 1st magna cum laude By Marlon B. Raquel Volume I, Issue I, The Living Water This year‘s commencement exercise marks a history of The Fisher Valley College since its founding in 1987. Myra Joy G. Bayot, 20, is TFVC‘s first magna cum laude. She took up Bache-lor of Science in Information Technology. Based on the Student Handbook, a magna cum laude student must have a general weighted average of at least 1.40 in all academic subjects without a grade lower than 2.00 and with minimum residence of three academic years of 90 units immediately preceding graduation. |