According to the manager of Emerald Restaurant, President Noynoy arrived at the Chinese restaurant when the hostage drama was over. The whole second floor of the restaurant was closed to accomodate President Noynoy and company. The president ordered fried rice and prawns among others.
I am just appalled that the president had the gall to eat when dead bodies were being carried out of the hostage site. He chose to eat than to personally see the tragedy that struck a few meters from the restaurant. He couldn't even answer the diplomatic calls of a Chinese official. Yet he had the time to have dinner at a fancy Chinese restaurant. The lack of sensitivity, propriety and urgency of the president are unbelievable. I do think that the country deserves the condemnation that it is getting from Hongkong and China. In that moment when we should have acted properly, even the president showed lack of human understanding of the great tragedy that struck merely a stone throw away from him.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
THE JOURNEY OF COACH BOYET FERNANDEZ
From head coach of a champion PBA team, Coach Boyet became the head coach of a collegiate basketball team. And as he becomes an assistant coach to the newest PBA team, Meralco, I was able to ask Coach Boyet about his experience with the U.P. men's basketball team.
1. Ano po pinagkaiba nang pagko-coach sa collegiate team as against a PBA team ?
Malaki ang pagkakaiba. Sa PBA, matured na ang mga players. Kumbaga, magagaling na. Sa collegiate naman, kailangan mo pang tumutok lagi sa mga players mo. Mga bata pa kasi kaya you have to guide them mentally and emotionally. At talagang kailangan pang hasain ang fundamentals nila sa paglalaro.
2. Bakit po ninyo tinanggap ang coaching job sa U.P. gayung alam ninyo na talunan ang team na ito ?
First of all, I was requested to help U.P. as a consultant. Alam naman natin ang mga nangyari kung paano nawala ang head coach ng U.P. Kaya ginawa akong acting head coach. I love challenges in life and I saw U.P. as a big challenge. I wanted to change how people see the men's basketball team of U.P. Kaya tinanggap ko ang hamon na maging acting head coach ng U.P.
3. Saan po kayo mas masaya o fulfilled, sa PBA o UAAP ?
Parehong fulfilling ang maging coach sa PBA at UAAP. Lalo na kung makikita mong napaparangalan mga players mo at nananalo at nagiging kampeon ang koponan. Mas masaya lang talaga sa UAAP kasi matindi ang team spirit ng mga estudyante. Nakakapanindig ng balahibo talaga.
4. How would you describe your stint with the U.P. Maroons ?
It was a very challenging experience. Marami akong nakitang dapat baguhin na sinimulan ko nang baguhin.
5. Ano po naramdaman ninyo sa sunud-sunod na pagkatalo ng U.P. ?
Frankly speaking, disappointed ako sa nangyari. But I believe there is no other way for U.P. to go but up. Naniniwala ako na konting tiyaga pa, mananalo rin ang U.P. Maroons.
6. Ano po biggest frustration ninyo sa U.P. team ?
Yung matalo nang sunud-sunod. Masakit para sa akin dahil alam ko sa bawat pagkatalo nanghihina ang loob ng mga players ko. My players really want to win. But sometimes, breaks of the game lang talaga. Naging factor din ang mga injuries to my players this season.
7. Gusto po pa ba ninyong manatiling coach ng U.P. next UAAP season ?
Nasa U.P. na ang desisyon. Basta ako, I am willing to face the challenge head-on as head coach of U.P. even until the next UAAP season.
8. Ano po nais ninyong iparating sa U.P. team at sa buong U.P. community ?
To the team and whole community, maraming salamat po sa tiwala at suporta. Asahan po ninyo na gagawin ko ang lahat upang maiba ang tingin ng mga tao sa ating koponan. I commit myself to U.P. and will continue to fight for U.P. until we reach our common dream of landing in the Final Four. Hopefully, we can bring back the glory of 1986.
1. Ano po pinagkaiba nang pagko-coach sa collegiate team as against a PBA team ?
Malaki ang pagkakaiba. Sa PBA, matured na ang mga players. Kumbaga, magagaling na. Sa collegiate naman, kailangan mo pang tumutok lagi sa mga players mo. Mga bata pa kasi kaya you have to guide them mentally and emotionally. At talagang kailangan pang hasain ang fundamentals nila sa paglalaro.
2. Bakit po ninyo tinanggap ang coaching job sa U.P. gayung alam ninyo na talunan ang team na ito ?
First of all, I was requested to help U.P. as a consultant. Alam naman natin ang mga nangyari kung paano nawala ang head coach ng U.P. Kaya ginawa akong acting head coach. I love challenges in life and I saw U.P. as a big challenge. I wanted to change how people see the men's basketball team of U.P. Kaya tinanggap ko ang hamon na maging acting head coach ng U.P.
3. Saan po kayo mas masaya o fulfilled, sa PBA o UAAP ?
Parehong fulfilling ang maging coach sa PBA at UAAP. Lalo na kung makikita mong napaparangalan mga players mo at nananalo at nagiging kampeon ang koponan. Mas masaya lang talaga sa UAAP kasi matindi ang team spirit ng mga estudyante. Nakakapanindig ng balahibo talaga.
4. How would you describe your stint with the U.P. Maroons ?
It was a very challenging experience. Marami akong nakitang dapat baguhin na sinimulan ko nang baguhin.
5. Ano po naramdaman ninyo sa sunud-sunod na pagkatalo ng U.P. ?
Frankly speaking, disappointed ako sa nangyari. But I believe there is no other way for U.P. to go but up. Naniniwala ako na konting tiyaga pa, mananalo rin ang U.P. Maroons.
6. Ano po biggest frustration ninyo sa U.P. team ?
Yung matalo nang sunud-sunod. Masakit para sa akin dahil alam ko sa bawat pagkatalo nanghihina ang loob ng mga players ko. My players really want to win. But sometimes, breaks of the game lang talaga. Naging factor din ang mga injuries to my players this season.
7. Gusto po pa ba ninyong manatiling coach ng U.P. next UAAP season ?
Nasa U.P. na ang desisyon. Basta ako, I am willing to face the challenge head-on as head coach of U.P. even until the next UAAP season.
8. Ano po nais ninyong iparating sa U.P. team at sa buong U.P. community ?
To the team and whole community, maraming salamat po sa tiwala at suporta. Asahan po ninyo na gagawin ko ang lahat upang maiba ang tingin ng mga tao sa ating koponan. I commit myself to U.P. and will continue to fight for U.P. until we reach our common dream of landing in the Final Four. Hopefully, we can bring back the glory of 1986.
NOT A MAJOR MAJOR MISTAKE
My conflict with CCF and its pastors resulted in my expulsion from my bible study group. It left me with nothing to do every Thursday night. Refusing to sulk, I volunteered at a nearby shelter for street kids. But instead of tutoring every Thursday night, I was assigned to teach every Saturday. And I was assigned only one student to take care of. While others had several students under their care, I was assigned to just one. The student who was assigned to me turned out to be a tough street smart kid who had no interest at all to go to school. He simply passed from one year level to the next because he would simply do a project to make up for his failing marks.
Slowly but surely, my student developed the habit of doing his homework. I would find his notebooks full of well-written notes. He would come prepared for every tutorial session. His test scores improved as well.
Last weekend, I was simply overjoyed to hear that my student passed the first grading period with ease. From being a problem child, he has turned into a responsible student.
Now, I understand why God revealed to me the things I discovered about CCF. Now, I understand why I had to be removed from my bible study group. God has intended to use me in another way.
I am simply overjoyed and amazed to see and feel God's wonderful hand in the things I went through. He turned my defeat into victory. He turned my sorrow into joy. I am so thankful to God for allowing me to experience His greatness. Now, I am thinking of rendering my services to a nearby public school to allow God to use me in a bigger way. I hope to see and feel God's great work manifest itself in the students who I will encounter and teach. To God be the glory !
Slowly but surely, my student developed the habit of doing his homework. I would find his notebooks full of well-written notes. He would come prepared for every tutorial session. His test scores improved as well.
Last weekend, I was simply overjoyed to hear that my student passed the first grading period with ease. From being a problem child, he has turned into a responsible student.
Now, I understand why God revealed to me the things I discovered about CCF. Now, I understand why I had to be removed from my bible study group. God has intended to use me in another way.
I am simply overjoyed and amazed to see and feel God's wonderful hand in the things I went through. He turned my defeat into victory. He turned my sorrow into joy. I am so thankful to God for allowing me to experience His greatness. Now, I am thinking of rendering my services to a nearby public school to allow God to use me in a bigger way. I hope to see and feel God's great work manifest itself in the students who I will encounter and teach. To God be the glory !
THE SHAMELESSNESS OF CCF PASTORS PART 2
I just found out that CCF pastors are asking once again their followers to dig deeper into their pockets to enable CCF to complete its worship center. After members have coughed up more than Php 1B, the pastors are still asking for more money. I expect the pastors to sing the same tune until the Php 3B worship center is finally completed.
In the first place, who told the pastors to erect a Php 3B worship center ? The staggering cost of the worship center matches the calamity fund of the entire nation. I find this totally insensitive and immoral considering the millions of starving Filipinos I see everyday. While the huge amount of money can be used by CCF to feed the hungry or create livelihood projects for the poor, it chooses to allocate the money to a white elephant. Worse, the pastors abuse the kindness of their members to get the money that they need to feed their egos. Whether the pastors admit it or not, they see the Php 3B worship center as evidence of their personal success and greatness. And that to me indeed is such a shame.
In the first place, who told the pastors to erect a Php 3B worship center ? The staggering cost of the worship center matches the calamity fund of the entire nation. I find this totally insensitive and immoral considering the millions of starving Filipinos I see everyday. While the huge amount of money can be used by CCF to feed the hungry or create livelihood projects for the poor, it chooses to allocate the money to a white elephant. Worse, the pastors abuse the kindness of their members to get the money that they need to feed their egos. Whether the pastors admit it or not, they see the Php 3B worship center as evidence of their personal success and greatness. And that to me indeed is such a shame.
WIILIE REVILLAME OR ABS-CBN : WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH ?
So many allegations have been thrown by the two protagonists against each other. But it is Willie Revillame who dares to bring his case to court. This, to me, is a telling sign that between the two, it is Willie who is telling the truth. A judicial court is the ultimate venue where the truth can be arrived at. And it is the best venue to determine who is telling the truth.
What I find bizarre is ABS-CBN's insistence that it is telling the truth. It even uses its programs to air its executives' side of the story. It denies to this day that it offered Willie a nontime show to air last week of July.
ABS-CBN stands to lose a lot should Willie prove beyond reasonable doubt that ABS-CBN is lying. Credibilty, once lost, is a hard thing to restore.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
PAGBABAGO
Six months ago, I encountered a problem with a Christian church that changed my spiritual life forever. I discovered that the pastors of the church that I was attending were conducting serious political activities without informing their members. Worse, these pastors were covering up their activities by lying through their teeth. Determined to expose the pastors for their lies and deception, I blogged what I stumbled upon. Word got around about my blog. I was eventually forced to leave the church for writing things about the pastors that were unfavorable.
Through that sad phase of my life, I found comfort in Goldilocks, particularly its pulvoron. Just when I felt so condemned and alone, Goldilocks kept me company. Through the spiritual isolation, Goldilocks and its pulvoron kept me grounded and satisfied. Strange as it may sound, pulvoron became my comfort food. As eating pulvoron became a routine, I soon realized that through Goldilocks, God was not leaving me all by myself. Through Goldilocks, I learned that while changes may hurt, it can also bring new joy and self-realization. More importantly, I realized that joy is not confined to a particular church. It can be found in the most unexpected places like Goldilocks as well.
I thank Goldilocks for providing me the comfort and joy that I needed in a time of great sorrow and solitude. Indeed, the comfort and joy that can only come from God is always within reach. I truly thank Goldilocks for despite its changes, it remains an arm's length away to provide comfort and joy to people.
Through that sad phase of my life, I found comfort in Goldilocks, particularly its pulvoron. Just when I felt so condemned and alone, Goldilocks kept me company. Through the spiritual isolation, Goldilocks and its pulvoron kept me grounded and satisfied. Strange as it may sound, pulvoron became my comfort food. As eating pulvoron became a routine, I soon realized that through Goldilocks, God was not leaving me all by myself. Through Goldilocks, I learned that while changes may hurt, it can also bring new joy and self-realization. More importantly, I realized that joy is not confined to a particular church. It can be found in the most unexpected places like Goldilocks as well.
I thank Goldilocks for providing me the comfort and joy that I needed in a time of great sorrow and solitude. Indeed, the comfort and joy that can only come from God is always within reach. I truly thank Goldilocks for despite its changes, it remains an arm's length away to provide comfort and joy to people.
CCF AND ITS HIDDEN POLITICAL AGENDA
My officemates who live in Pasig and Cainta remind me almost everyday that the construction of CCF's $80M worship center is well on its way. My officemates know very well that I was banished by CCF. Perhaps to spoil my day, they would jokingly inform me of the great construction that is on-going along C-5.
But my officemates are mistaken to think that I am upset with CCF's worship center. What I am upset about is that the worship center will be used to advance certain political beliefs. The pastors cleverly veil their true intentions with the construction of a seemingly harmless worship center. But the worship center, I fear, will be used to propagate false beliefs to support Israel. Read http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/more-than-30000-participate-in-pro-israel-conference-in-asia/.
The worship center, in itself, is not an evil thing. It is what men do that can render it an evil purpose.
But my officemates are mistaken to think that I am upset with CCF's worship center. What I am upset about is that the worship center will be used to advance certain political beliefs. The pastors cleverly veil their true intentions with the construction of a seemingly harmless worship center. But the worship center, I fear, will be used to propagate false beliefs to support Israel. Read http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/more-than-30000-participate-in-pro-israel-conference-in-asia/.
The worship center, in itself, is not an evil thing. It is what men do that can render it an evil purpose.
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