Category: Uncategorized

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

 

Madison Square Garden can seat 20,000 people for a concert. This blog was viewed about 62,000 times in 2010. If it were a concert at Madison Square Garden, it would have performed about 3 times.

In 2010, there were 39 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 255 posts. There were 25 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 87mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was May 11th with 634 views. The most popular post that day was Update: SORSOGON PROVINCIAL CANDIDATES FOR 2010 ELECTION.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were search.incredimail.com, facebook.com, search.conduit.com, bulan.com, and google.com.ph.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for impormasyong pang-turista ng bern, bulan observer, cactus, loren legarda, and business and politics family dynasties.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Update: SORSOGON PROVINCIAL CANDIDATES FOR 2010 ELECTION December 2009
14 comments

2

Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Filipino Political Character February 2009
11 comments

3

The CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM in the Country: April 2008
13 comments

4

Local Archive December 2009
3 comments

5

About Bulan Observer December 2007
35 comments

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A Better Place

 

by jun asuncion

 

The Solis event was for sure a big political event nationwide so we have allowed these emotional discussions to go on for a while since they’re in a way a part of the whole event.

But now it’s time to bring the discussions to a higher level after all these purely personal squabbles or family feud.

For though we react to political corruption cases, Bulan Observer remains a place for constructive dialogue and criticism and was never meant to be a hate site.

Again, we ask for more cultured reflections in relation to the Solis’ case after we had allowed enough room for the most basic of human emotions and after we had realized that we couldn’t achieve more if we have to remain in this level of discussion or in dealing with one another.

Joanne Solis has of course the right anytime to counter any hurled criticisms or insult to her or her family. But I ask the others now to refrain from posting purely personal attacks. In this way, we help one another break this cycle of aggression and hate and give way to a more civil and intelligent cycle of discussion.

Young people grew up in this kind of political system and, as expected, we have seen it mirrored in their dialogues. You cannot blame them. As I mentioned long ago, the younger ones suffer the most in this dog-eat-dog political landscape.

But remember that if we continue this way, we are voluntarily supporting the system that we oppose. That would be an insult to all of us.

So, we all are wanting to do a new landscaping for our younger people so that they grow more in an atmosphere of trust, which is healthier I supposed; for the minds of the youth reflect only the social reality that they perceive. And the fact that social perception differs from society to society, it gives us an important hint that a change in landscaping will change the social perception of the younger people.

But truth be told, this is a very complex issue, too vast that we don’t even know when or where this new landscaping (or social change) can start. We have talked about electoral reforms, etc., but all of these require time and many other factors to happen.

For the meantime we just forget its complexity and begin this new landscaping in the way that we treat one another here in this column with respect without sacrificing our right to freely express our own opinions on issues that matter to us all.

The Solis’ case is a matter of public interest and so we will observe its continuation. It’s also a chance for us to start this new landscaping.

With this in mind, I also personally hope that the people who post their comments here also learn something better about themselves- or experience new landscaping- every time they come back to review them.

Let’s all work for a better place.          

                                                                          ——end—-

Choose Freedom First

by jun asuncion

 

The year 2010 is finally here- and lucky are those who survived because 2009 was a year of calamities and human tragedies for the Filipinos.

Still, the tired Filipinos have the right to wish for a better year this time, a year with less natural devastations and a new national leadership that would give them back the face of dignity that they have lost and inspire them to continue fighting for the virtues they dearly hold.

Hence, this new year is our chance to go a step forward by choosing a president that has a stately character and the intelligence that’s focussed on how to improve our situation. That’s why choose freedom first above everything else and then choose your president this year.

I can no longer imagine another four or eight years of weak national leadership , another years of deception and series of insult to the Filipino mind. That’s why be wise this time, protect your mind, consider a bigger cause and then choose your president this year.

The Philippines is still not the nation we have envisioned. It is deep within it fragmented and has no direction- the reason why there is no peace and progress.

Though we may proudly declare ourselves anytime and anywhere of being friendly and hardworking Filipinos,  in truth we have no common defined goals on how to change the situations that for decades have been hindering our progress. That’s why we need a national leader that will give us this definition that we need and support our personal struggles for a nation. A multi-ethnic place like the Philippines needs a strong and incorruptible national leader who will work for and not against a Filipino nation, who will put to end this culture of impunity and replace it with culture of justice and human rights; a national leader that places national interests first than  patronage politics.

This could be too much of an expectation for this means to go against the flow of the Philippine real politik. But this is exactly we need in this socio-economic dead-end, somebody who will break the old wall and lead us to the other side where there is more space for positive growth and development.

The same way with our local governments: Choose freedom first and then choose your mayor and governor. Respect your local officials  and political candidates but don’t trade freedom for slavery. It’s more human to be poor yet free than to be poor and be a slave. Avoid manipulation of all kinds, fight for your integrity and choose freedom first.

This is the privilege we enjoy each start of the year – to reset ourselves inwardly and  to dream again for a better Philippines. Indeed, it’s a new beginning for each of us, but an end to those who choose to remain un-free and who have stopped dreaming.

Personally, you might have lost good friends and/or failed to reach your goals you have set for yourself last year. But this should not stop you from dreaming anew. The new year will also bring you new friends when old ones are gone and a new hope so that you can set up new goals again.

Friendship and politics are two things that go hand in hand: Good friendship stays and endures the test of time and expectations, hence has a deeper  quality and meaning. Good politicians are friends to the people for they work for the people’s welfare and never turn their back on the people once they have secured the power but maintain this friendship in an atmosphere of freedom and trust. The result is good governance.

To talk about freedom may sound altmodisch or old style. But for all we know- or for all that we don’t know- freedom needs to be defined and redefined constantly in a society that’s changing and struggling  like the Philippines. It is as old as philosophy itself but still remains the sine qua non of our political dasein and humanity. I’m experiencing that even in places considered to be the most free, progressive and democratic ones in the world, the people’s fight for freedom has never ceased. On the contrary, it’s omnipresent in their daily political debates and in their everyday dealing with one another.

 As a matter of fact, freedom is an issue as pressing as the issues on global warming and climate change and in a way, these issues affect one another: People who choose freedom first and whose freedom is respected have more impact on industries and government decision-making, hence can achieve more in their fight for a cleaner environment than their less-free counterparts in countries that don’t acknowledge such freedom.

The bottom-line now  is to keep your dream  and your passion for a free life. There, exactly in that place where you feel you’ve reached your own dead-end, break that wall and start again. This is really the only way to go to another higher definition within your self. Avoid people and situations that seem to compromise your inner balance or people who attack gladly your own weaknesses. Ignore them and focus on your own strengths so that you’ll be more happy and successful in your own ways.

And finally, don’t underestimate the value of dreaming for a better world for yourself because it is actually your good dream that keeps you alive in this world and keeps you breaking the walls.

                                                                                      —end—

We’ll Remember You Always, Manay Edna!(1950-2009)

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Yesterday, the 22nd of April 2009, Wednesday morning, our eldest and beloved sister Edna Asuncion Penos passed away totally unexpected.

We greatly mourn the loss of a loving and caring sister who dedicated her entire life to her family and to teaching our young Tagabulans. These children above were once her pupils in Bulan North Central School. She herself was the most loyal Tagabulan among us for she never left Bulan except during her college years in Legazpi city. She passed away a few days after her arrival in Cubao, Quezon City on her regular visit to her own family- husband Danny Penos and two grown up sons Bonbon and Jay who are all working in Manila.

I cannot describe in words the importance of Manay Edna in my own life and how this sudden not-being-with us-anymore pains us  all. Again, I rebel inwardly, will not accept that death is such a harsh reality. We would have loved that she stayed with us for many years more…

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Manay Edna will be brought back to our town Bulan for her final rest. Bulan, you are just too near for us…

We’ll remember you always, Manay Edna!

jun,  with menchu, jerry, malou, dennis, judy- and families, and mama with our youngest brother roy.

————– 

The melody that reminds me  always of Manay Edna:

Response To Timothy- or The Pillar Of Truth

 

It was the result of my observations that led me to question the role of Roman Catholic Church in nation building, recognizing the fact that Religion and the Church plays a crucial factor in character building of the individual. But why then is a society that is composed of such Roman Catholic -raised and Roman Catholic- educated people is susceptible to moral corruption as expressed in their daily business with one another and most obviously in their political affairs which begins from the national down to the local government officials and extends down the line of traffic policemen. Of course there are still some honest public servants, but they are little exceptions to the rule.The fact is Corruption -and not Religion- has long been accepted as a way of life in the Philippines (and in other Roman Catholic nations as well) since the coming of the Spaniards. Is this but a reflection of the inherited corrupt nature and tradition of the Roman Catholic Church that infiltrated the collective  unconscious (C.G.Jung) and psyche of the Filipino (and of other catholic nationalities ) after centuries of Roman Catholic dominion? Take note that here I’m talking about the man-made institution (Government?) of the Roman Catholic Church, and not the Religion of Christianity as founded by Christ himself.

Observing that many other Roman Catholic nations are also very corrupt like the Philippines has led me to conclude that Catholicism has failed to be a tool for building a better society. I do not accuse but merely reflect back the facts observed and the documented records of the Roman Catholic Church herself. Then, what is a supposedly grandiose and forcefully imposed foreign church worth for if it had no function in the society it had willingly conquered? Is it just there to gather the flock every Sunday, collect money from the “Faithful” and send it to the Bishop of Rome? In any case, there is just this missing factor in the Roman Catholic culture and system of education which hinders the individual to transfer positively the Christian teachings he learned in his interaction withthe society, particularly the way that he handles the public office entrusted to him if he is a public servant. Or is the Roman Catholic Church nothing but an edifice of corruption and therefore do not possess the moral authority, hence ineffective, in preaching the pure gospel of Jesus Christ which is characterised mainly by love of God and His Commandments (Thou Shall Not Steal, Though Shall Not Kill…) and love and compassion for fellow men and all creations?

In my studies I came to realize that Christianity was shamelessly corrupted and politicized the day when the Roman Emperor Constantin 1 showed interest in Christianity through the Edict of Milan in 313 which now treated nicely the long time persecuted Christian communities and his calling to life the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD which decreed which books must be or must not be included in the Bible and the adoption of Catholic Christianity as official state Religion of the Roman Empire in 380 by Emperor Theodosius I in Thessalonica. The Edict of Milan which ended the persecution of the early Christians would not testify to the genuine personal appreciation of Constantin of Christianity for he himself remained worshipping the Deus Sol Invictus-the Unconquered  Sun God-and continued his working on the falsifications of Christian religious history, allowing himself only be converted to Christianity through Ambrose just moments before his death. It was rather clear from the outset that everything was a politically-motivated move of these emperors who realized the unifying potential of the growing Christian population at a time when the pagan Roman Empire was declining (The crisis of the 3rd Century in the history of the Roman Empire) and from this date on, the corruption of Christ’s teachings started, beginning with the incorporation into it of many pagan practices of ancient Rome, to the horrible abuses of perverse Popes acting in the name of Christ, the series of Roman Catholic Church-led Crusades, notably the 35- year crusade against the Cathars beginning in 1209 that killed thousands of people, the permanent institution of Inquisition in the 12th Century (Malleus Maleficarum- The Hammer Of Witches !) that led to the burning of heretics (people holding a different opinion ) at the stake (remember Savonarola?), persecution of scientists including Galileo, and finally the confiscation of the properties of these accused and/or murdered people. This gruesome burning and crusades lasted for 475 years, the last woman in Europe to be executed on suspicion of witchcraft was Anna Göldi, in Glarus, Switzerland in 1782 who was finally rehabilitated last year by Glarus local authorities.

  • With this background of brutal corruption and the failure of Roman Catholic educators to recognize this cruel past of the Roman Catholic Church, no sane man could expect that Roman Catholicism is the answer to the quest for Truth (” no matter how the Roman Catholic Church of today presents the “sweetness and light” that Roman Catholic Christianity brought to the world”) and therefore could contribute to Filipino progress, morally and politically. There is danger in denying history. You surely know George Santayana’s warning with respect to this.
  • The founding of schools and hospitals was no way a sign of progress for the Spaniards who came in 1521 and founded them came not really to introduce the real Christianity but they came to introduce and to represent the corrupted version of Christianity (which actually became a form of government known us Theocracy, with the Pope as the absolute authority ) dating back 325 ( and not the Christianity before this date as taught by Christ himself, his Apostles, the Apostolic Fathers and the ante-Nicene Church fathers i.e.,before the council of Nicaea, who, though defending (Apologia) the Christian faithfrom false doctrine, were still dedicated in transmitting the gospel in its true and pure form, in contrast to the post-Nicene Church Fathers who were now just interested in the writings of Articles of Faith( or better, Constitution Of Faith?) and Theology (the most famous being Augustine), all of which were geared at cementing the power and authority of the pope ( a title of pagan and pre-christian origin itself ) and the church of Rome and its pagan-soaked catholic rituals. One such man-made Article of Faith is the Doctrine of Infallibility which was decreed by the Vatican Council (Vatican Senate ? ) in 1870.
  • The Spanish Conquestadores who, in 1521, came, saw and conquered the Philippine islands, allegedly to “Spread Christianity”, came in fact to spread Terrorism, for they were no doubt acting in the spirit of Inquisition, echoing the notorious Spanish Inquisition at the end of the 15th century under Ferdinand and Isabel. Thus they came to conquer, to kill and enslave the natives and to sequester the whole of Philippine Archipelago.
  • Timothy, Progress is not measured in terms of roads, schools, hospitals and bridges built but in the upgrading of the moral and political consciousness of the Filipino people. Were colonisation, oppression, aggression, murders, suppression of truth, slavery, pillage and denials part of the teachings of Christ himself, and were they conducive to socio-economic and moral upgrading of the Filipinos during this entire Spanish occupation which lasted for almost 400 years? Surely not.
  • Was the public execution by firing squad of the then strongest intellectual critic Dr. Jose Rizal in 1896 not enough to show the intention of the Roman Catholic Church in preventing the Filipinos from developing and, above all, from using their own intellect? I declare once again that the message was clear. During this occupation time, the Spanish civil government and the Roman Catholic Church were one and the same in their intention, though the Catholic friars were much more feared by the Filipinos (Indios, according to them) than the Spanish civil authorities.
    The inability of the Catholics to pray a spontaneous original prayer is not the failure of the individual Catholic but a symptom of the authoritative, truth-denying and dogmatic system of teaching of the Roman Catholic Church (only the Catholic clergy, and not a lay Catholic, is allowed to interpret the Bible to prevent “misinterpretation” ) which does not take pleasure in the development of individuality but in the passive submission of the flock, which is understandable in light of the undisputed Roman Catholic history of persecuting heretics, meaning people who use the brain given to them by God and who think in the opposite direction.
  • The 1 Tim 3:15 was referring to Jesus Christ’s Church as the Pillar Of Truth, not to the Roman Catholic Church that for a long time in its history were presided and represented by indecent people, impostors and murderers, people not worthy an inch of Christianity. If you look back to the old written pages (profile?) of this Church, you cannot help but shudder and admit that it is built neither upon Jesus Christ nor Simon Peter the Rock but that it is built upon the rock of Gotteslästerung-of Blasphemy- itself.
  • Your statement that “the fact that most of the lawyers, teachers, doctors and nurses (priests, engineers and psychologists as well? ) are Catholic clearly refutes the idea that the (Roman ) Catholic Church prevents developing and using your intellect”.
  • Well, the mind is the only thing that cannot be caged  even if threatened with crucifixion as what the Romans did to Christ in Golgotha or to Simon Peter in Rome, the beheading of Paul (also in Rome) or the immersing of an Apostle named John in boiling oil, or the beheading of  that poor Swiss woman Ana Göldi. And besides the Roman Catholic Church has nothing against teachers and nurses as long as they don’t question the foundation of the Roman Catholic Church, its dogmas and canons, the Infallibility of the Bishop of Rome and naturally its gruesome medieval history. This is the truth Timothy that you are tasked to protect- and I hope you’re enjoying it.
  • Now, to your last statements “we’ve already established that there is no fact, but just a common myth, an urban legend”,  and “Hopefully, you are open to the truth which is far different.”
  •  Here, you sounded like those typical Catholic religion teachers who were so dogmatic and not open to the truth which is far different by not allowing us to study the Bible (I haven’t seen one in the classroom) but instead devoted their time in teaching us the Articles of Faith of the Roman Catholic Church authored by Vatican Senate (not by Chirst or Simon Peter), and by not mentioning a word about the history (and secrets) of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Ignorance of History, or were they victim themselves of such method of instruction? You know you cannot defeat facts with philosophical syllogisms alone, a subject you surely love so much, for you need this tool in speaking in defense of (Apologia) the Holy Roman Catholic Church- and you will have more such occasions that will keep you busy for the rest of your life in view of the Roman Catholic scandals now coming more and more to light. You can continue on arriving at a beautiful logical proposition  after inferring from two premises, or throw up Bible verses here and there to make your point. But the fact that Roman Catholic nations are mostly corrupt-like the Philippines or Italy or, for this matter, the Vatican City itself, remains simply a fact, only it is not beautiful. The Truth is simply there to be seen , there is nothing to hide.

In Christ Alone,

jun asuncion