Thursday, October 29, 2009

Gifts for INC’s third “Executive Minister”

GREATEST GIFTS FOR INC’S EXECUTIVE MINISTER: His ascendancy as the third “Executive Minister” of the 95-year old Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), and his complete acceptance as the undisputed leader of the millions of INC members worldwide, appear to me to be the greatest gifts that Mr. Eduardo V. Manalo will thank God for as he celebrates his 54th birthday on October 31, 2009.

But on top of these, Ka Eduardo (as Mr. Manalo is now lovingly called by everyone in the INC and even in the whole world) can also thank God that the love, respect, admiration and, for many, the reverence that have been lavished on his late father, the late INC Executive Minister Erano “Ka Erdy” Manalo, are now being showered upon him abundantly as he starts steering the powerful religion as its new head.

There is no doubt that Ka Eduardo will equal the phenomenal work that Ka Erdy put in to make the INC a worldwide spiritual group, but hopes are high and prayers are pouring in that the INC will now soar even higher in the new millennium under his leadership.

Having come face-to-face with him for the first time when I personally expressed my condolences for the untimely demise of Ka Erdy right at the Central Temple of the INC, I became immediately aware of a distinct aura of authority, decisiveness and sincerity about Ka Eduardo that, even then, convinced me he would lead the INC to greater glory and service to God.

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KA EDUARDO MANALO RECEIVES AN OUTPOURING OF LOVE, SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT: As I am writing this piece, I continue to be amazed by the outpouring of love, support and commitment from Iglesia members from around the globe, to Ka Eduardo’s leadership as the INC’s newest “Executive Minister”, only the third for the group which is about to celebrate its 100th year of existence.

Here are additional postings from www.gemnet.tv.blog.php which represent the overwhelming sentiment of INC members in favor of Ka Eduardo: “Maligayang Bati Ka Eduardo sa inyong pong kaarawan. Nawa ay patuloy kayong patnubayan ng ating Ama sa inyong pangunguna bilang Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan ng Iglesia. * ucmjr2007”

“Brother Eduardo V. Manalo: My pervent prayers to our Lord God & to our Lord Jesus Christ is to continue to bless you with His wisdom & power, more success in His Church thru your leadership. We are always united with you in spirit and in truth till we reach our salvation. As you celebrate po your birthday - we are inviting more people to attend in our EVangelical Mission so that many people will bring back to the fold. * Malu M. Araullo”

“Bumabati po kami ng aking pamilya mula po dito sa Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ng maligayang kaarawan po sa inyo kapatid na Eduardo V. Manalo at salamat po ng marami sa inyong pangunguna sa amin at sa buong Iglesia para sa ikabubuti at ikapagigingdapat namin sa Ama. Bumabati po: Danny Tuazon and family.”

-ooo-

LUMINOUS MYSTERIES START WITH BAPTISM OF JESUS: After the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians, the Mysteries of Light, or the so-called Luminous Mysteries, come next, to narrate another aspect of the life of Jesus Christ starting from His baptism to the Institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper.

Significantly, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all contain an account of the baptism of Jesus Christ. In Matthew, we find the story in its Chapter 3, verses 13 to 17. In Mark, we find it in its Chapter 1, verses 9 to 13, while in Luke, the event is narrated in its Chapter 3, verses 21 to 22.

In John, the story is found in its Chapter 1, verses 29 to 34, although this account is not as specific about baptism as was written in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Be that as it may, the baptism of Jesus, performed by His cousin, John the Baptist at the Jordan River, continues to be a confirmation of Jesus’ divinity, and of His status as the Son of God.

In all the Gospels, the story is told that after He was baptized, the heavens parted and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove and lightning, with a voice from heaven saying “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Surely, in all history, there is no other person or being in this world whom God called as His Son, whom He loves and with whom He is well pleased except Jesus.

-ooo-

PRAYER IS THE ANSWER TO EVERY PROBLEM IN LIFE: A poem I found posted on a table inside a courtroom in Manila sometime in 1983, when I first became a lawyer attending my first-ever court hearing, confirms the power of prayer, thus:

“Prayer is the answer to every problem in life. It puts us in tune with Divine Wisdom, which knows how to adjust everything perfectly. So often, we do not pray in certain situations because from our standpoint, the outlook is hopeless. BUT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.

“Nothing is so entangled it cannot be remedied. No human relationship is too strained to bring about reconciliation and understanding. No habit so deep-rooted that it cannot be overcome. No one is so weak that he cannot be strong. No one is so ill that he cannot be healed. No mind is so dull that it cannot be made brilliant.

“Whatever we need if trust God, He will supply it. If anything is causing worry and anxiety, let us stop rehearsing the difficulty and TRUST God for love, healing and power.”

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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo: blessed at 54

KA EDUARDO TURN’S 54: Turning 54 on October 31, 2009, Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo of the world’s fastest-growing and most robust and highly-disciplined religious group, the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), has every reason to celebrate and thank God.

On top of all the usual reasons for celebrating one’s birthday, Ka Eduardo (as the Executive Minister is called by his flock) has just been called by God to become the undisputed leader of the INC, shortly after his father, the venerable former INC Executive Minister, Erano “Ka Erdy” Manalo, died last August.

This divine mandate to lead the INC would be very important for Ka Eduardo in particular, and for the INC in general, because it comes at a time when the world is experiencing great turmoil---economically, geologically and spiritually.

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INC’S CHALLENGE UNDER KA EDUARDO: SPREAD ITS FAITH ALL THE MORE: There is indeed a need for a great spiritual leader like him who will blaze new trails in fearlessly proclaiming the Word of God everywhere, and evangelizing even the farthest ends of the earth with the brand of faith that has made the INC the undisputed number one religion not only in the Philippines but in the whole world as well at present.

I believe that the challenge that confronts Ka Eduardo now, and by which his term as “Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan” is to be ultimately measured by history, is to replicate with greater vigor the zeal and fervor which Ka Erdy showed in sharing with the world the message given by God to His last Messenger, the highly loved and well-respected Mr. Felix Y. Manalo, Ka Eduardo’s grandfather and first executive minister of the INC.

I therefore join the INC, its members, and the whole Filipino nation as well, in praying to God that He will continue to bless, guide, protect and inspire Ka Eduardo as he leads the INC during his own watch as Executive Minister, in much the same way that Ka Felix and Ka Erdy before him were both richly blessed, guided, protected and inspired by God.

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INC MEMBERS ACKNOWLEDGE KA EDUARDO AS THE CHURCH’S LEADER: The high esteem and great respect with which Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo is held by INC members---the group’s kapatids or brothers and sisters around the world---is shown by countless expressions of willingness by all of them to support and follow him, and place in his hands their spiritual well-being.

I logged on to one website belonging to the INC, the www.gemnet.tv.blog.php and one cannot help but be overwhelmed by the postings of its individual members from the Philippines and abroad which are professing love, respect, support and obedience to Ka Eduardo as their supreme leader.

Here are some of these postings: “KAMI PO NG AKING ASAWA AY BUMABATI SA INYO NG MALIGAYANG KAARAWAN…BAGAMAT PINAGPAHINGA NA PO NG AMA ANG KA ERDY, IPINAPANGAKO PO NAMIN ANG AMIN PONG PAGPAPASAKOP SA INYONG PAMAMAHALA SA IGLESIA TULAD PO NG PAGPAPASAKOP NAMIN SA KANYA! MAHAL NA MAHAL PO NAMIN KAYO AT ANG BUONG IGLESIA. BONINO's blog.”

“MULA PO SA LOKAL NG U.P. - 1, DISTRITO NG METRO MANILA SOUTH, KAMI PO AY BUONG KAGALAKAN NA BUMATI SA INYO SA NALALAPIT NA PAGSAPIT NG INYONG KAARAWAN. PANGAKO PO BUONG KATAPATAN KAMING TUTUPAD NG TUNGKULIN AT BUONG PUSONG MAGPAPASAKOP SA INYO. PURIHIN ANG PANGINOONG DIYOS AT ANG ATING PANGINOONG JESUS. KAPATID NA RAY M. SAGUN.”

“Pagbati po sa Mahal naming kapatid na Eduardo V. Manalo, mula po sa Townsville Group Worship Service, Queensland Australia. Sa inyo pong kaarawan maraming salamat po sa Panginoong Diyos sa pagkakaloob niya ng Lakas at Gabay upang patuloy nyo pang mapangunahan ang Banal na Iglesia. Sisikapin po naming makapamalagi sa karapatan na kaloob sa amin. Kapatid na Macquin Parungao, Townsville GWS, Australia…”

-ooo-

WEDDING AT CANA, AND MARY’S ROLE AS MEDIATOR BETWEEN MAN AND JESUS: The Bible’s account of the wedding in Cana, where Jesus turned the water into wine as narrated in John 2:1-11, now forms part of the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians as its Second Luminous Mystery (or Second Mystery of Light).

Among many Christian believers, this part of Jesus’s life is often unknown or is little heard of, although it should occupy a place of importance because, as the Bible itself in John 2:11says: “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana, in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”

Being the very first miracle of Jesus, it is significant to note that the Bible appears to have portrayed Him as a little hesitant in performing it, considering His refusal to do anything when Mary, His mother, first approached Him when wine had run out during the wedding banquet. Jesus told Mary: “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.”

But it was only because of Mary’s persistence---she told the servants, “do as He says” even when she was already rebuffed by her Son---that Jesus relented and, as the Bible itself emphasizes, this became His first ever recorded miracle, the very first revelation of His glory.

If anything at all, therefore, this wedding totally justifies the Roman Catholic Christians’ giving of importance to Mary and calling her, among others, as the “mediatrix of all grace”.

Indeed, it is conceded that the only mediator between God and man is Jesus Christ. But, as shown by the wedding at Cana and the turning of the water into wine, Mary is the most effective mediator between Jesus and man.

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Monday, October 26, 2009

Rotary’s “ShelterBox” tents: giving hope to calamity victims

PERMANENT RELOCATION FOR TYPHOON VICTIMS STILL UNCERTAIN: If some 3,500 or so residents of Botolan, Zambales whose houses were swept away by floods at the height of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng cannot thank Rotarians good enough for the Rotary shelter box tents that are being used by them as their temporary homes, it is because their relocation to a permanent residence is still uncertain.

Exactly eighty days to the day after they were left homeless as I am writing this column, the residents-typhoon victims still do not have any place to go to build new houses and resume their normal lives, according to Gregorio Jaring, the barangay captain (or village chief) of Bgy. Carel, Botolan, Zambales who himself resides, with his family, in a Rotary shelter box tent.

In an interview on October 25, 2009 at a relocation site in Botolan called Tent City 1 (there is a Tent City 2 in a nearby area) while Rotarians from District 3810 and District 3790 were distributing food, water, blankets, mats and fruits, Jaring said the Rotary shelter box tents not only gave them a new home right after the floods but, more importantly, gave them hope that things will be better.

Jaring told me that because the Rotary shelter box tents enabled the residents to have homes of their own in substitution of their houses that were washed away by the angry floodwaters, some sense of well-being and security have somehow descended upon them.

This would not have been possible if they were left to stay in evacuation centers or on the sidewalks and other public places, mixed with other people, Jaring said.

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RESIDENTS AIR PLEA FOR EXPEDITIOUS ACTION ON RELOCATION SITE: The urgent plea now, Jaring said, is for Botolan’s local officials to expedite the development of a proposed relocation site for him and his constituents located at the hilly and mountainous Sitio Calibungan, Bgy. Porac, Botolan, Zambales.

As of the moment, it appears that there are now four bulldozers taking turns to level the site, but then what is really delaying the completion of the relocation site is the lack of budget on the part of the local government unit of Botolan.

This is the reason why there is no definite date yet for the transfer of Jaring and his people to this site, although the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already earmarked the amount of Php70,000 for each of the houses to be built for the affected 831 or so families.

DSWD also aims to pay each family head who will undertake the construction of his own house in the amount of Php250 a day, Jaring said, apparently as a livelihood measure seeking to provide employment to the affected families while they are trying to rebuild their lives once again.

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DISEASE OUTBREAK FEARED DUE TO LACK OF AMPLE WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITIES: Chona Didicatoria, 42, a childless married woman who was also given a Rotary shelter box tent in Tent City 1, is also raising a challenge for Rotarians and other civic-minded individuals to do something about improving the human waste disposal system in the tent cities.

Saying almost all of the tent city residents no longer have any place to return to since their houses and their fields were either swept away or buried under tons of sand, Didicatoria said there is a growing concern about putting up more toilets and bath facilities in the two areas.

The toilets that were put up earlier are starting to be clogged and unusable, and that disposing human waste is becoming a problem as it unhealthy disposal may lead to disease outbreaks or other illnesses, Didicatoria added.

-ooo-

PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD: “Proclamation of the Kingdom of God” is the third mystery in the Mysteries of Light, or Luminous Mysteries, of the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians, and an account of it is found in Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:14 and Luke 4:15 of the Bible.

In Matthew 4:17, the story is told that when Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison, He returned to Galilee, and then lived in Capernaum, by the lake in Zebulun and Naphtali, to fulfill what the prophet Isaiah said.

“From that on, Jesus began to preach,” the same Biblical verse says, and what Jesus started to preach was this: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

In Mark 1:14, an almost identical account is found, thus: “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. `The time has come’, he said. `The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.’”

In Luke 4:15, on the other hand, this is what is written: “He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.” Luke however says that Jesus began to preach after he was tempted for forty days in the desert.

What is the lesson that we can derive from the third mystery of the Mysteries of Light?

It is that, there is a need for man, who has become wicked and mired in sin, to repent, stop sinning, and make the good news of God---the Bible nowadays---a necessary part of his life.

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BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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“It is better to light just one little candle…”

ROTARIANS PROVIDE “HOME” TO TYPHOON VICTIMS: Among the most-devastated victims of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng from Botolan, Zambales in Luzon, their greatest gratitude in their quest for a new life is now reserved for Rotarians of Rotary International (RI), particularly Filipino Rotarians who are proving they have not grown tired of helping anyone.

The reason, I was told when I joined a trip to visit them Sunday, October 25, 2009, was that Rotarians have given them not only food and other goodies that could tide them over day after day after virtually all of their possessions---animals and plants included---have been swept away by rampaging floodwaters.

More importantly, Rotarians have given the hapless Zambalenos new, even if merely temporary, homes, in the form of roomy and comfortable tents which came all the way from New Zealand and Australia.

These tents, called Rotary “shelter box” tents which are valued at P37,000 each but which were given to them for free, have provided the victims virtual “haven” and refuge, at a time when, 79 days or so after their houses were destroyed by Ondoy and Pepeng, they really have nowhere else to go.

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TYPHOON VICTIMS FIND NO RELOCATION SITES: These Rotary shelter box tents have rightly become proud testaments to what Rotarians can do and accomplish in the spirit of true and untainted volunteerism, over and above mere distribution of relief goods and donations.

While some may say that the tents are not permanent in character and could in fact break down from sheer exposure to the elements in the days to come, the fact remains that they are now the only valued possession that hold the victims and their families together safely in one place.

The tents are now what passes off as “home” among the calamity-stricken residents, and, by virtue of their own reckoning, a home or a temporary shelter is the least that they could really afford right after the strong winds, great floods and continuous rains buffeted them during the height of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng and divested them of almost everything.

Sally Dionisio, 40, told me that she and her fellow victims (who are now inhabiting Tent City 1 and Tent City 2 in the outskirts of Botolan, Zambales) could not really thank Rotarians enough for providing them with “homes” through the shelter box tents, when even their own local government units have been unable, even up to now, to find relocation sites for them.

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CIVIC-MINDED CITIZENS CAN SOLVE PROBLEMS BY COOPERATION: The trip last Sunday, October 25, 2009, was arranged by Past RI District 3810 Gov. Lyne Abanilla, who is also the incumbent chairman of RI’s Zone 7 Public Relations Group covering the Philippines and Indonesia, and by Rotary Clubs from Manila and Pasay City.

Accompanying the Rotarians was a truckload of food, water, medicine, blankets, mats, apples, oranges and other fruits and goodies especially for children, which were distributed by Rotarians from District 3810 and District 3790 (under Visionary District Gov. Roland “Oyan” Villanueva).

President Jun Salvador of the Rotary Club of Botolan, Zambales and his club prepared a special lunch for all those who were present at the Sand Valley Beach Resort, also in Botolan (owned by Club Past President Jun Farin).

What this trip taught me was this: if only similarly-minded citizens would come together and decide to help the poor and the needy and the calamity-stricken, there is no problem that can not be solved, and there is no victim that can not recover.

As the highly-inspiring song intones: “It is better to light just one little candle than to stumble in the dark…”

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THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS: In the life of Jesus, there are two incidents which are recounted in the Bible where God Himself confirms, directly and in no uncertain terms, that Jesus is, indeed, the Son of God.

The first incident is the baptism of Jesus at the River Jordan, and the second incident is the so-called “Transfiguration” on top of the mountain.

In these two incidents, God announces, in the full view and hearing of many people: “This is my son, whom I am well pleased, whom I have chosen, listen to him.”

The “Transfiguration” now forms part of the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians as its fourth mystery in its Mysteries of Light (or Luminous Mysteries), and is found in the Gospels of Matthew (17:1 to 13), Mark (9:2 to 13) and Luke (9:28 to 36).

Why is the Transfiguration an important part of Jesus’ life, aside from the fact that it is an event that, like other parts of the Bible pertaining to Him, confirms His divine status as the Son of God?

It is important because the narrations of the event by Matthew, Mark and Luke indicate, with precise uniformity, that there is a “connection”, as it were, between Jesus and the prophets of old, especially the important ones like Moses and Elijah, which connection on the other hand shows the continuity of God’s directions for the salvation of man.

What these narrations do is confirm Jesus’ own statement that He came not to abolish the Law or disregard the prophets, but to uphold each one of them and make sure that people follow them.

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BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.


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Sunday, October 25, 2009

What if Loren will have no presidentiable?

WHAT IF LOREN WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIND A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE? Supposing, just supposing, Sen. Loren Legarda will be unable to look for a presidential candidate who will take her as a vice presidential running mate, what happens? Will she pursue her candidacy, or will she run as senator again?

At this point, however, there are still very many titillating possibilities for Loren: she can run with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, the Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard bearer. But she can also run under Sen. Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party, who, up to now, has no running mate.

Or, Loren can run under former Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., who confirmed his aspirations for the presidency by resigning from his DPWH post last week.

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SHOULD LOREN GIVE UP POLITICS IN THE MEANTIME? And then again, he can also run under Sen. Chiz Escudero of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, or, finally, under Bro. Eddie Villanueva who is running for president again under the Bangon Pilipinas Party.

I suppose that in negotiating with any of these gentlemen so they could take her as their running mate, Loren should not set too many conditions, and she should show herself to be willing to sacrifice.

The problem is that, if she is not able to run with any of these presidentiables, that would indicate that the problem is really with her, and not with someone else. Could it be suggested then that, in that sorry eventuality, Loren should give up politics in the meantime, and wait for a more opportune time?

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THE FUTURE IS NOT KNOWN TO ANY OF US: With due respect to Loren, I think the paramount lesson in her decision to slide down from her previously-burning and formerly non-negotiable presidential ambition has already been written in the Bible thousands and thousands of years ago.

In its James 4:13-16, the Bible warns man against pretending speaking as if he has the capacity to do whatever it is that pleases him, saying that our lives are just a mist that appears only for a little while and then vanishes.

Here is what this part of the Bible says: “Now listen, you who say, `Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow…”

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MAN SHOULD NOT ACT AS IF HE HAS CONTROL OF TOMORROW: The same Biblical verse tell us: “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes….

“…Instead, you ought to say, `If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that. As it is you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins…”

The same thing is true for all others: we should not act and behave as if the future solely depended on our will. If that is the image that we project, that is boasting and so it is evil, and since we are doing what ought not to be done, we are committing sin.

-ooo-

LAST SUPPER AND THE INSTITUTION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The fifth and last mystery in the Mysteries of Light (or the Luminous Mysteries) of the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians is the “Institution of the Holy Eucharist through the Last Supper”, an event which is now being used as basis for the Catholics’ claim that Jesus Christ is present in all Catholic masses around the world.

Found in Matthew 26:17-29, Mark 14:12-25 and Luke 22:7-20, the story about the Last Supper contains an order from Jesus, which is significant as it is unique: “do this in remembrance of me”.

The question of course is: why would Jesus tell his disciples, who were having the Last Supper with Him, to break bread and drink wine “in remembrance of me” or “in memory of me”?

There could only be one answer and here lies the significance and the uniqueness of the Last Supper: Jesus wanted all those who believe in Him to remember Him every time they partook of food and drinks, to remember that all the grace and blessings that come to them who eat and drink actually come from the benevolence of God.

And since everything comes from the benevolence of God, we should always be thankful to Him, and recognize that without Him, we are nothing and we have nothing, and that whatever we are eating and drinking represents Jesus, so that Jesus actually is with us all the time.

Finally, the order of Jesus to break bread and drink wine “in remembrance of me” actually asks all of us to remember that Jesus allowed His body and blood to be offered for the forgiveness of our sins, thereby confirming that He is not only God, but our Savior.

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BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Gov’t hospital shames woman who is expecting her 7th baby

www.batasmauricio.com AND BATAS RADIO INACCESSIBLE: To all our friends who have been following us at www.batasmauricio.com and BATAS INTERNET RADIO through the same website, we have been experiencing some technical problems with that site and, correspondingly, with BATAS RADIO.

The website has been down for the last several days, so you can not access it from the Internet. Also, you can not listen to BATAS RADIO through www.batasmauricio.com.

If you would want to listen to BATAS RADIO and its programs at this point, you can access it through www.eradioportal.com. Click "pure internet", click "Luzon", and you will see "Batas Radio."

Click "Batas Radio" and you will be able to listen to us with our broadcasts from 4 am to 12 midnight.

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www.batasmauricio.com TAMPERED WITH BY UNSCRUPULOUS PERSONS: Ms. Arlene Balagot, the website administrator for www.batasmauricio.com, told me that the website appeared to have been "tampered with" by unscrupulous individuals.

It would seem that the "tamperers" managed to secure a password which only Ms. Balagot knows, and then used it to access the database of the website and, for reasons known only to them, tinkered with it.

As a result, the site got "down", and is no longer accessible. Ms. Balagot told me that she will make an effort to ask the host-server what happened, but this will take some time.

Therefore, if anyone wants to continue listening to the 20 hour Monday to Friday broadcasts of BATAS RADIO in the meantime, access www.eradioportal.com, click "pure internet" and then click "Batas Radio."

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GOV’T HOSPITAL SHAMES WOMAN WITH MANY CHILDREN: A relative of my wife named Wilma got the shock of her life the other day when she went to a government hospital in Metro Manila, to have herself medically-examined for her seventh pregnancy.

The woman-doctor who was assigned to attend to patients at the ob-gyne ward of the hospital did not hide her disgust that Wilma, who is only 43 years of age, was expecting her seventh baby already.

Wilma reported she got a rough tongue-lashing from the woman-doctor who, in the presence of many other people and unmindful of the humiliation she was heaping on Wilma, lectured on the disadvantages of having many babies, especially in a family where the parents do not even have any stable employment or any visible means of livelihood.

When she got home, Wilma asked me: is it the official policy of government hospitals now to shame and berate women---and even their husbands---who do not favor family planning and who instead follow God’s injunction for man to increase in number and subdue the earth?

I wonder if Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who is running for the Senate in the May 2010 elections, approved this kind of a policy?

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AGONY OF JESUS, AS THE FIRST SORROWFUL MYSTERY: After the Joyful Mysteries and the Mysteries of Light, the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians deal with the so-called “Sorrowful Mysteries”, which depict the parts of the life of Jesus that culminate in His death on the cross.

The first of these “Sorrowful Mysteries” is the “Agony of Jesus”, which is the story of Jesus agonizing at his impending crucifixion and death on the cross, and which is found in Matthew 26:36-45, Mark 14:32-42 and Luke 22:39-46 of the Bible.

In this story, Jesus is portrayed as being sorrowful and troubled, knowing as He did what was going to happen to him in just a few hours, even prompting Him to say “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

Certainly, this is a powerful picture of Jesus in his human attributes, especially when this is viewed in the light of His subsequent statement, which shows Him placing completely His trust and confidence in the Father with the words “My Father, if it is possible, may this cub be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

The question is, if Jesus is the Son of God, why would he be troubled, and why would he say that, if possible, “this cup be taken from me”?

The answer, I believe, is that, it is necessary to show that in his human attributes, Jesus could agonize just like ordinary men, so that humans will not really despair when problems come to them, no matter how great those problems maybe.

There is a solution to the agony that everyone feels, and the solution is precisely what Jesus did: placing complete trust and confidence in the will of God.

-ooo-
BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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Friday, October 23, 2009

BATAS RADIO can be accessed only at www.eradioportal.com now

To all our friends who have been following us at www.batasmauricio.com and BATAS RADIO through the same website, we have been experiencing some technical problems with that site and, correspondingly, with BATAS RADIO.

The website has been down for the last several days, so you can not access it from the Internet. Also, you can not listen to BATAS RADIO through www.batasmauricio.com.

If you would want to listen to BATAS RADIO and its programs at this point, you can access it through www.eradioportal.com. Click "pure internet", click "Luzon", and you will see "Batas Radio."

Click "Batas Radio" and you will be able to listen to us with our broadcasts from 4 am to 12 midnight.

-ooo-

Ms. Arlene Balagot, the website administrator for www.batasmauricio.com, told me that the website appeared to have been "tampered with" by unscrupulous individuals.

It would seem that the "tamperers" managed to secure a password which only Ms. Balagot knows, and then used it to access the database of the website.

As a result, the site got "down", and no longer accessible. Ms. Balagot told me that she will make an effort to ask the host server what happened, but this will take some time.

Therefore, if anyone wants to continue listening to BATAS RADIO in the meantime, access www.eradioportal.com, click "pure internet" and then click "Batas Radio."

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Estrada eligible to run again, says the 1987 Constitution

SEC. 4, ART. VII OF THE CONSTITUTION DEALS WITH INELIGIBILITY TO RUN: So the public may know, let me quote here the part of the 1987 Constitution which deals with the ineligibility of a president for any reelection: “…The President shall not be eligible for any reelection…”

This is actually the second sentence of Section 4, Article VII of the Charter, and anyone whose mind is not biased against President Joseph Estrada will see that there is nothing in it that would prevent him from running, and from being re-elected, and from serving as president once again.

That provision, in its simplicity, refers to “the President”. Now, let me ask Estrada’s critics: who is “the President” referred to therein as ineligible to run again?

To answer that question, we must have to go back to the first sentence of Section 4, Article VII, which says that “The President…shall be elected by direct vote of the people for a term of six years which shall begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date six years thereafter…”

-ooo-

ONLY THE PRESIDENT ELECTED IN 2004 IS INELIGIBLE TO RUN: Surely, taking into account the first and second sentences of Section 4, “the President” who is declared ineligible for any re-election by the Constitution is the president elected by direct vote of the people who has been given a six year term starting at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following the day of the election, and ending at noon of the same date six years thereafter.

The most important item to remember in that first sentence of Section 4, Article VII, would be the description of the term of “the President”, which is the term starting at noon of the 30th day of June next following the day of the election.

When was the last election in the country where a president was elected? It was in 2004, and so, it is clear the prohibition applies to the president who was elected in 2004 and whose term started on June 30, 2004.

Who was this president against whom the disqualification or ineligibility applies? Surely, it was not President Estrada, for he was not elected in 2004, and his term did not start on June 30, 2004.

-ooo-

TRUST IN THE LORD AND DO GOOD: Marianito Hernandez (nitoy_h@yahoo.com), a fellow member at the Internet Yahoo egroup “ang bagong pinoy”, recently posted what would appear to be a hodge-podge of Biblical verses. But hodge-podge or not, the verses seem related with one another. Judge for yourself, here is a part of Marianito’s posting:

“Do not be provoked by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.
Like grass they wither quickly; like green plants they wilt away. Trust in the LORD and do good that you may dwell in the land and live secure. find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart's desire.

“Commit your way to the LORD; trust that God will act, and make your integrity shine like the dawn, your vindication like noonday. Be still before the LORD; wait for God. Do not be provoked by the prosperous, nor by malicious schemers.

“Give up your anger, abandon your wrath; do not be provoked; it brings only harm. Those who do evil will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD will posses the land. Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.

“Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving….”

-ooo-

I AM A JEALOUS GOD: “I AM A JEALOUS GOD! Do not be DECEIVED! Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, who formed you from the womb: I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens; when I spread out the earth, who was with me? I am the LORD and there is no other, there is no God besides me.

“I AM A JEALOUS GOD! Do not be DECEIVED! I am the LORD, there is no other; I formed the light, and create the darkness, I make well-being and create woe; I, the LORD, do all these things. Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down. Let the earth open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up! I, the LORD, have created this.

“I AM A JEALOUS GOD! Do not be DECEIVED! It was I who made the earth and created mankind upon it; It was my hands that stretched out the heavens;
I gave the order to all their host. It was I who stirred up one for the triumph of justice;
all his ways I make level. He shall rebuild my city and let my exiles go free without price or ransom, says the LORD of host.

-ooo-

TURN TO ME AND BE SAFE: “I AM A JEALOUS GOD! Do not be DECEIVED! For thus says the LORD, The creator of the heavens, who is God, the designer and maker of the earth who established it, not creating it to be a waste, but designing it to be lived in: I am the LORD, and there is no other. Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!

“I AM A JEALOUS GOD! Do not be DECEIVED! I am God, there is no other; I am God, there is none like me. At the beginning I foretell the outcome;
in advance, things not yet done. I say that my plan shall stand, I accomplish my every purpose.

“I AM A JEALOUS GOD! Do not be DECEIVED! Thus says the LORD:
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man glory in his strength,
nor the rich man glory in his riches; But rather, let him who glories, glory in this,
that in his prudence he knows me, knows that I, the LORD, bring about kindness,
justice and uprightness on the earth; For with such am I pleased, says the LORD.

“I AM A JEALOUS GOD! Do not be DECEIVED!”

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Erap-Binay convention: a rousing show of force

ERAP-BINAY CONVENTION: A ROUSING SHOW OF FORCE: Based on what I saw at the “nomination convention” of the United Opposition held Wednesday night at Plaza Hernandez, Tondo, Manila, I dare say that given a little more time, former President Joseph Estrada could easily reassert his supremacy among the country’s 2010 presidentiables.

About 35,000 people lustily cheering and publicly expressing their support attended the convention (on their own, and using their own money and resources in doing so) which also saw the formal acceptance by Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay of the draft for him to run as Estrada’s running mate.

If the affair, held infront of the Tondo Catholic Church, was meant to be a show of force, it was indeed a rousing show of force for the former president who was convicted for graft by the Sandiganbayan, but later on pardoned by the government.

-ooo-

ESTRADA GIVES HEADACHE TO FRONT-RUNNING PRESIDENTIABLES: It was a show of force really, not only because many ordinary people wanted to be a part of it, but also because of the presence likewise of a big number of incumbent local officials and other politicians who wanted to run with the Estrada-Binay tandem.

Now that Estrada and Binay have become official candidates, I guess many other presidentiables who have been topping past surveys will have big headaches from now on, principally because Estrada has a remained a very popular choice as president among Filipino electorates.

This is perhaps the reason why Malacanang made noises, while the convention was going on, saying that there will be private groups and individuals who will seek a clarification from the courts on the issue of Estrada’s qualification (or disqualification) to run for president again.

-ooo-

ESTRADA FORMS FORMIDABLE LEGAL TEAM RE: DISQUALIFICATION ISSUE: To many, the statement of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita on the issue constituted some sort of a go-signal for those who may have already been previously tapped to bring the matter to the courts, justifying talks that Malacanang will use the Supreme Court to disqualify the former president from the 2010 elections.

But, former Sen. Ernesto Maceda, the spokesman of the United Opposition who also emceed the Tondo convention, said Estrada already has a formidable legal team composed of former Supreme Court justices and law deans to fight any court case.

In an interview with BATAS INTERNET RADIO, Maceda emphasized that the legal team has now come up with a scholarly treatise explaining why the 1987 Constitution prohibition against presidents from running again does not apply to Estrada.

-ooo-

PROHIBITION ON RE-ELECTION APPLIES ONLY TO AN INCUMBENT PRESIDENT: Former Caloocan City Rep. Luis “Baby” Asistio, though not a lawyer, is of the belief that what the 1987 Constitution actually prohibits is the re-election not just of any president, but of “the president”.

In an interview with BATAS INTERNET RADIO earlier, Asistio pointed out that the use by the Constitution of the word “the” in describing the president who is no longer allowed to run again and be re-elected is important, because that word (“the”) could only refer to a definite person.

“When the Constitution says `the president’, it means exactly just that: the president,” Asistio said, and when “the president” is mentioned in the Charter, it could only mean the incumbent president because there is no one else that can be called “the president”, declared Asistio, who is running for mayor of Caloocan City under the Erap-Binay tandem.

-ooo-

SCOURGING OF JESUS AT THE PILLAR: The “Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar” is the second mystery in the “Sorrowful Mysteries” of the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians. Unlike all the other mysteries of the Holy Rosary, however, this second Sorrowful Mystery is the only mystery which is very tersely depicted.

In the Gospels of Matthew (27:26), Mark (15:15), and John (19:1), the scourging of Jesus at the pillar is described in just one sentence: Pilate had Jesus flogged.

In the Gospel of Luke, there is even no direct reference to it whatsoever.

This makes one wonder: what then is the importance of the scourging of Jesus, so that it merited to be included as one of the mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians?

To me, the significance of this event is to show the wickedness which man could descend to, if he has become totally separated from God, unwilling to comply with His commands, laws and decrees.

While man is a dearly loved creation by God, he could become a beastly creation, rejecting even God and His Son the moment he stops believing and hardening his heart against God’s teachings and direction.

This situation is of course to be avoided, for it leads us to nowhere but hell.

-ooo-

BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Avoid ham, bacon, sausages, salamis to avoid “double dead” meat

“DOUBLE DEAD” MEAT IN HAM, BACON, SAUSAGES AND SALAMIS MUST BE AVOIDED: The best argument against eating processed meats such as ham, bacon, sausages, salamis, and others of the same kind not only during the Christmas season but all year round is found in the one ton of “double dead” meat seized from the Balintawak Market in Quezon City Wednesday morning.

What the meat’s seizure showed was that, there will always be unscrupulous men and women among us who, in their desire to earn money, will not stop at anything, including selling meat from already dead animals which is sure to compromise the health and safety of consumers nationwide.

Previous experiences will also tell us that there are also heartless companies in our midst which have no qualms about using “double dead” meat to manufacture hams, bacon, sausages, salamis and others of the same kind, and then offer them at low, low prices.

So, why take the risk? To avoid health complications arising from these products, we must avoid eating them. That is the only way to assure our families, relatives and friends of a healthy and sickness-free Christmas 2009, and even the whole year round.

-ooo-

CATHOLIC BISHOPS MUST ASK THEIR FLOCK TO RESORT TO REGULAR PRAYERS AND BIBLE STUDY: Cubao, Quezon City Roman Catholic Bishop Honesto Ongtioco must be congratulated for leading an “Oratio Imperata” (Obligatory Prayer) among the faithful last Sunday to seek divine intervention against Typhoon Ramil’s onslaught.

The prayer appears to have been heard by the heavens and by God, because the typhoon, earlier touted to become a super typhoon once it entered the Philippine area of responsibility, had greatly weakened Wednesday morning and may no longer be as dangerous as it was first reported to be.

But on top of this apparent success with the “Oratio Imperata”, what must be done now by Ongtioco and his fellow bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines is to make praying and Bible study a regular part of the daily life of Filipinos here and around the world.

These two directions must be pursued by them with a full realization that the weather disturbances, natural calamities and the hardships and difficulties afflicting the country now have a Biblical dimension, and could therefore be dealt with only through what the Bible itself says.

-ooo-

IT’S OFFICIAL, ERAP IN THE RUNNING IN 2010: So, it is now official. Former President Estrada is running in the May 2010 elections.

And, as you are reading this, the “nomination convention” of the United Opposition, the political coalition that will field him and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay as 2010 presidential and vice presidential candidates, will have already “anointed them” in ceremonies announced to be held in Tondo, Manila Wednesday.

The two were also expected to have announced the opposition’s senatorial line-up, which, as of press time, included nine names: Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, Rep. Teddy “Boy” Locsin, lawyer Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, Joey De Venecia, and Grace Poe.

Former Senator Ernesto Maceda, who is now the campaign manager of Estrada’s ticket, told me last Tuesday that there will be additions to that list, who will all have been presented in Tondo.

The opposition expects Estrada’s ratings in surveys to shoot up, now that he has finally declared his candidacy, Maceda added.

-ooo-

CROWNING OF JESUS WITH THORNS: The Third Sorrowful Mystery of the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians talks about the crowning of Jesus with thorns, and the account of this event is found in Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:2 of the Bible. There is no account of it in the Gospel of Luke.

According to these passages, Pilate had tried to release Jesus who, by then, was presented to Him after He was arrested, but the crowd instead asked for the release of another man, Barabbas, the convicted murderer, and insisted that Jesus be crucified.

Jesus was subsequently flogged, on orders of Pilate, and later was brought to the Praetorium in the company of many soldiers. The soldiers stripped Jesus of His clothes and put a scarlet robe on Him.

Then they twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on His head. Putting a staff in His hand, the soldiers then knelt in front of Him and mocked Him, saying “Hail, king of the Jews.”

After they mocked Him, they took off His robe and put on His own clothes on Him. The soldiers then led away to crucify Him, thus fulfilling His prophecies about His suffering in the hands of the Jews before His crucifixion.

-ooo-

BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.


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Monday, October 19, 2009

Fasting and weeping to God: best way to fight typhoons

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO AVERT TYPHOONS AND CALAMITIES? In the face of Typhoon Ramil, which is yet another super typhoon that is threatening to ravage our countrymen in Northern Luzon in just a span of less than thirty days, it would be well for us to remember now the only known effective way to avert tragedies brought about by natural calamities.

This is the way that Filipinos must resort to right away, even before Ramil makes its projected landfall Thursday and wreck havoc to our countrymen who are still reeling from the destruction and devastation caused by Typhoon Pepeng.

What is this way? It is fasting, and gathering the people together, and then weeping in prayer to God, seeking His deliverance.

This we must do, while there is still time.

-ooo-

THE BIBLE PROVIDES THE BEST WAY TO FIGHT OFF TYPHOONS AND CALAMITIES: This is the way that the Bible, in its Joel 2:12-19, prescribes, and which we must comply with, if we want Typhoon Ramil to spare us, and if we want to stop more destructive rains, floods and strong winds from tormenting us in the future.

And so the public will know, here is what Joel 2:12-19 of the Bible’s Old Testament (King James Version) says: “…Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

“And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

“…Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts ….

-ooo-

WE MUST WEEP IN PRAYER TO GOD: “…Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

“…Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen…

“…Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

“…And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed….”

I say let us do this now, precisely because there is no other way available to man anyway to fight off rains, floods and strong winds.

-ooo-

CHINESE, INDIAN AND MUSLIM PREACHERS NEEDED AT BATAS RADIO: At this point in the life of BATAS INTERNET RADIO, its Board of Management is now seeking pastors or preachers who can preach, talk about or explain, the Bible in the Indian, Chinese and Muslim languages, to form part of its broadcasters pool.

These “specialized” pastors or preachers will be given one-hour time slots each so they could talk about the Bible in Hindi (or any other major language in India), in Chinese (perhaps, Mandarin or any other major Chinese language) and in Muslim (any dialect).

Interested parties may either email me at batasmauricio@yahoo.com, or at batasradio@yahoo.com, or call me at 0917 984 24 68 or 0922 833 4396.

Let us join hands in preaching the Word everywhere and among everyone.

-ooo-

BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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Typhoon Ramil requires us to read and obey God’s Word

“STOP GAP” PRAYERS NO LONGER EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING CALAMITIES: Rains and floodwaters and strong winds seem to be scourges of modern man everywhere these days, and the Philippines in particular appears to be carrying the brunt of the destruction brought about by them, especially in the light of the fast-approaching Super Typhoon Ramil (international name: Lupit).

And, it would seem “stop-gap” prayers (or prayers offered when there is a perceived danger coming) are no longer effective in invoking God’s will to spare our countrymen from further harm.

What is needed now is a complete and total overhaul of ourselves: we must go back to God, sincerely, truthfully and honestly, by reading and living the Bible (for Christians) and the Koran and other Holy Books (for Muslims and other believers), for it is clear that man has incurred God’s wrath by our godlessness and are being punished for it.

Surely, we can not turn to God in our hour of need and desperation, and then forget Him again when everything becomes alright once more, as if God is a robot that can be turned “on” and “off” as we please.

-ooo-

GOD’S MESSAGES ABOUT MAN’S DESTRUCTION THE SAME THROUGOUT THE AGES: Many are contesting my view that these rains, floodwaters and strong winds are curses being sent by God to us, saying that God is a loving and caring God and that He is not going to be the source of anything that would destroy us.

I respect those contrary opinions, but then, let me make it clear that, when I say God is sending curses and rebuke, this time through rains, floods and strong winds, to people who no longer listen to His Word and no longer obey Him, it is not me talking.

I am merely quoting passages from the Christian Bible, and I am not even interpreting anything. I am just lifting the chapter and the verse verbatim, and allow our people to read those passages from God themselves.

I invite everyone whose views differ with mine to read the Bible, and you will see what I mean. In particular, please read Deuteronomy 28:15 to 68, and Matthew 7:24-27. You will be surprised to find that the messages of God the Father and the Son are verbatimly the same throughout all the ages.

-ooo-

OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD IS NECESSARY: Some are also saying that while they agree that people should pray, that should not be all there is to it, that something else must be done. Of course, I couldn’t agree more and, in the first place, I did not say that simple praying is enough.

There is something else that should be done, and the Biblical passages I am referring to here---Deuteronomy 28:15-68 and Matthew 7:24-27---are quite clear on this.

Aside from praying, we must insist on “listening” to the Word of God, and then “doing” or “living” or “obeying” whatever it is that we read from the Bible, making them the very basis for whatever we think, say or do.

Both the Books of Deuteronomy and Matthew impose these two requirements---listening and then obeying---to enable us to enjoy God’s blessings and avoid His curses. There is simply no other way for us, and the sooner we understand this, the better it will be for all of us.

-ooo-

CARRYING OF THE CROSS: All of Christendom are aware that before Jesus was crucified, His tormentors greatly increased His suffering by compelling Him to carry the cross with which He will be crucified.

This part of Jesus’ life is called “Carrying of the Cross” and it is now the fourth mystery in the “Sorrowful Mysteries” of the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians. An account of it could be found in all the Gospels: Matthew 27:31-35, Mark 15:20-22, Luke 23:28-31 and John19:17.

Again, the rendering of the event by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is relatively short and direct to the point.

What one sees is merely the act of the soldiers leading Jesus away from Pilate, ordering Him to carry the cross, and, along the way, compelling Simon from Cyrene to carry the cross, too.

In Luke, however, one notices the fact that while Jesus was carrying the cross, there were “a large number of people” following Him, including women who mourned and wailed for Him.

When Jesus saw the mourners, He told them not to mourn for Him but that they should mourn for themselves instead, for a time was coming to them when they will wish that they were not born at all, in view of the grievousness of their sin against Him.

-ooo-


BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Good news: we can stop rains and floods!

PGMA MUST SEEK DIVINE INSPIRATION RE: DISASTERS: I am sincerely praying that President Arroyo will learn to seek divine inspiration in government moves to mitigate the devastation and destruction brought about by rains, floods, and strong winds in the country, to enable her to perceive that these problems have Biblical and spiritual dimensions.

It is sheer folly for her and for any other government leader at this point to ignore what the Bible has been saying, throughout all the ages, that calamities such as rains, floods and strong winds are actually curses promised by God to peoples who no longer listen to Him and to those who listen to Him but no longer obey His commands, laws and decrees.

-ooo-

GOD’S SOLUTION RE: CALAMITIES: While the President should exert all efforts that are humanly possible to mitigate the devastation and destruction that are yet to come upon us as a result of more rains, floods and strong winds, she should insist on finding out what God’s message is in all these, and then embark on finding a solution which takes into consideration this divine message.

For starters, Mrs. Arroyo should read (or re-read, if she has already done so in the past) Deuteronomy 28:15 to 68 and Matthew 7:24-27 of the Holy Bible, as well as its 2 Chronicles 7:14. These are the solutions which could even stop the calamities.

-ooo-

LAWS ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTER REDUCTION MEAN NOTHING: I am of the conviction that if the Biblical and spiritual dimensions of these calamities are ignored and not given the attention they deserve, nothing is going to come out of the proposed Climate Change Law and Disaster Risk Reduction Law, and even out of the meetings of the Legislative Executive Advisory Council on climate change.

We must realize that, if we are to read the Bible (particularly its Matthew 7:26-27), the warnings aired by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) of heavy flooding in almost every nook and cranny of the Philippines as a result of more rains could be the “great fall” promised by the Lord Jesus.

-ooo-

ONLY GOD CAN GIVE THE SOLUTIONS TO CALAMITIES: The big part of the solution to all these problems lies with God. We should therefore endeavor to go back to Him, sincerely and honestly, by starting to listen to (and read and study) His Word once again, and then obeying His each and every command, no matter how difficult it is going to be for all of us.

If we do not go back to God by listening to (and reading and studying) His Word once again, and obeying His each and every command, there is a big, big flood coming that, because it could be the “great fall” promised by Jesus Christ, could really place all of the Philippines’ 7,100 islands under water.

-ooo-

THE GOOD NEWS? WE CAN DO SOMETHING: To those who may scoff at this warning, I will invite you to read the Wednesday dispatch from the Philippine News Agency which warned of rains and floods, even if there is no tropical cyclone or typhoon in the country, that should send shivers down our spine.

In that story, PAGASA’s chief weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said rivers from Luzon and Visayas have been swelling up and causing floods in many areas which can possibly make a repeat of the floods and the destruction wrought by Ondoy and Pepeng.

A very scary story indeed, but the good news is that there is something we can do to stop further tragedies to happen: and that is, by reading the Bible once again, meditating on it day and night, following what It says and then using it as the basis of whatever we think, say and do (See Joshua 1:8).

-ooo-

CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF JESUS: The final mystery in the “Sorrowful Mysteries” of the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians is the “Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.” As this statement suggests, it is an account of how Jesus died through crucifixion.

In Matthew, it can be found in its Chapter 27, verses 33 to 61. In Mark, it is written in its Chapter 15, verses 22 to 47, while in Luke, this story is told in its Chapter 23, verses 32 to 56. In John, it is narrated in its Chapter 19, verses 18 to 42.

Despite its obvious defeatist stance because it portrays the death of Jesus, the “Crucifixion and Death of Jesus” actually represents a glorious victory for the Son of God and for all those who believe in Him.

For this “death” is no death all. It is a victorious fulfillment of what Jesus had been saying all along, that He was going to die in the hands of sinners, so that the Scriptures will be fulfilled.

Then, this death was a necessary process, as it were, so that sins could be forgiven, and its actual happening, in the full view of witnesses, confirms God’s forgiveness of everyone who believes in Jesus and for those who repent and turn from their wicked ways.

The death of Jesus, therefore, signals a “defeat”, yes, but it is a defeat of sin and wickedness, and the triumph of God’s great love for man.

-ooo-

BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.


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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Gov’t must deploy CSC eligibles to foreign jobs

CSC TO STUDY PLAN TO SEND ELIGIBLES TO FOREIGN JOBS: Am I thankful to God, in the name of Jesus, that I was the one who conducted the interview Tuesday night over BATAS INTERNET RADIO (www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com) of Director IV Maria Leticia G. Reyna, the chief of the Examination, Recruitment and Placement Office of the Civil Service Commission (CSC)!

The reason is that, during the interview which lasted for about an hour, I managed to secure a commitment from Director Reyna (or simply May to her friends) that she will push my suggestion that CSC eligibles (professional and sub-professional) who have not been employed by the government yet be deployed for overseas employment by the government itself.

-ooo-

CSC ELIGIBLES QUALIFIED TO BECOME OFWs: May told me that my suggestion was never thought of before, but is highly doable, and could in fact be greatly beneficial to the millions of Filipinos who have managed to pass the CSC exams which classified them as eligibles or qualified to be appointed to any government post in the Philippines but are not working yet for lack of available governmental positions.

My perception is that since the government through the CSC certifies to the fitness and qualification of those who have become eligibles, precisely because they have passed a rigid government examination, that should make them fully qualified for overseas employment and become overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

-ooo-

ABUSES VS OFWs TO BE MINIMIZED: Then, if the government itself undertakes the deployment abroad of these individuals, that would lessen illegal recruitment and collection of exorbitant recruitment fees, which is usually what happens when recruitment is done by private agencies.

This suggestion would also minimize abuses against Filipinos working abroad because their deployment would be undertaken through government to government negotiations, and would even assure the payment of appropriate salaries and benefits.

-ooo-

SOLUTION UP FOR FAKE TEACHERS’ LICENSES: During the interview, I also thanked God in the name of Jesus that Director Reyna agreed with my perception that, to solve the problem of many elementary and high school teachers whose teachers’ licenses were reported to be fake and spurious, a validation examination could be specifically drawn up for them.

This problem actually afflicts almost all public elementary and high schools nationwide, according to people from the Department of Education who brought this to my attention several years back, and who claim nothing has been done to solve it all through these years.

-ooo-

“VALIDATION EXAMS” FOR AFFECTED TEACHERS EYED: One group of DepEd officials are saying the teachers should be immediately fired and then prosecuted. They are supported in this regard by a number of CSC officials who believe, even without any proof yet, that the teachers themselves committed the falsification of their licenses.

Another group however is saying that the teachers are themselves the victims, especially by some unscrupulous persons who are either officially connected, or not, with the exams-giving agency, the Professional Regulations Commission, and so they must not be unnecessarily punished but given some kind of a validation exams instead.

-ooo-

RESURRECTION OF JESUS, AS FIRST GLORIOUS MYSTERY: After the “Sorrowful Mysteries”, the “Glorious Mysteries” in the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians follow. The “Glorious Mysteries” constitute the last batch of the mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

The first of the so called “Glorious Mysteries” is the “Resurrection of Jesus”, and long accounts of it are contained in Matthew 28:1 to 20, Mark 16:1 to 20, Luke 24:1 to53, and John 20 and 21.

All of these Gospels say that Mary Magdalene and another woman went to the place where Jesus was entombed, after his crucifixion and death, and found that His body was no longer there.

Then, an angel of the Lord appeared, and told the women that Jesus has risen, as He prophesied about Himself, and was in fact going to Galilee, to meet His disciples.

Shortly after this and in many other incidents thereafter, Jesus showed Himself to His disciples, allowing them to touch His wounds, even eating with them, and, finally, giving them the Great Commission: to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus likewise ordered His disciples to teach the nations to obey everything that He taught and commanded the disciples, assuring them that He will be with them, to the very end of the age.

-ooo-

BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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Monday, October 12, 2009

CJ Puno’s movement will fail; DOST’s warnings re: stronger typhoons Biblical?

DOST’S WARNINGS OF STRONGER TYPHOONS DOVETAIL WITH JESUS’ OWN WARNINGS: Among the many newspaper accounts of the interview given Monday, October 12, 2009, in Malacanang by Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul, the story carried by Malaya newspaper Tuesday proved to be the most scary report of all, as far as I am concerned.

This is so because Yumul was quoted as saying that, based on scientific data, the damage and destruction to lives and property in our country will continue to happen, in more severe degrees yet, since more rains, floods and strong winds coming from stronger and longer-lasting typhoons and weather disturbances will definitely visit the Philippines as a result of climate change.

WhetherYumul and even Malaya were aware of it or not, they were actually merely echoing the dire warnings issued by our Lord Jesus Christ on the impending “great fall” or total destruction that is yet to come to us anytime soon, brought about by natural calamities.

Indeed, if we do not heed Jesus’s admonitions early enough, destructive, devastating and more fatal rains, floods and strong winds as he specifically and expressly promised in Matthew 7:26 to 27 of the Holy Bible will pound the Philippines (and other countries of the world), to bring about the “great fall” He warned about.

We must therefore endeavor now to “listen” and “obey” (these are Jesus’ Words, not mine, and they are found in Matthew 7:24-27, among others), and entice other Filipinos to similarly listen and obey, while there is still time, and before it is too late.

-ooo-

CJ PUNO’S MOVEMENT WILL FAIL: Chief Justice Reynato Puno will excuse me for saying this, but, I strongly believe that his Moral Force Movement is bound to fail, and is not likely to cause any dent in the conceded lack of moral fiber prevailing among many of us Filipinos today.

This is simply because the Movement is mired in the same pitfalls that previous movements which aspired to change our countrymen have fallen into, the most serious of which is the failure or even outright refusal to publicly acknowledge that it is a movement that, in reality, is aimed at bringing back our people to God.

Latest news dispatches from the movement show that while its leaders are struggling to launch it in the Visayas, particularly in Bacolod City, they nevertheless continue to marginalize and mask their real intention by saying they merely intended to bring back “moral values” and “ethical principles” only.

Well, many other movements in the past have already aspired to bring back “moral values” and “ethical principles” among our people, but because all of them either refused or were afraid or reluctant to expressly invoke God in their efforts, and publicly say that what they were really aspiring for was to stimulate spiritual rebirth among our people, they have all gone down the drain.

This is the fate that awaits Puno’s Moral Force Movement, unless the chief justice wakes up, as it were, and insists, publicly, that the movement is really intended to make our people go back to God through an earnest reading of the Bible and conscientious obedience to God’s commands and decrees written in its pages.

Indeed, why is Puno, a known spiritual leader, failing or refusing to say in public that his movement is intended to bring back our people to God?

-ooo-

ASCENSION OF OUR LORD: The “Ascension of our Lord” is the second “Glorious Mystery” in the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians, and it speaks about the manner by which the Lord Jesus was taken up to heaven after His resurrection.

Only two of the Gospels contain an account of the ascension. The first account is found in Mark, in its Chapter 16, verses 19 and 20, while the second account is found in Luke, in its Chapter 24, verses 50, 51, 52 and 53.

The Gospels of Matthew and John do not have this story, but the Book of Acts, in its Chapter 1, verses 1 to 11, contain a vivid description of how Jesus was “taken up to heaven.”

In Mark, this is how the story is told: “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it.”

In Luke, the ascension is described in this manner: “When he had let them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left and them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”

In Acts, the promise of Jesus returning after He was taken to heaven, “in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” was made.

-ooo-

BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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Basilan Bishop reading another Bible?

IS BASILAN BISHOP JUMOAD READING THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE? Bishop Martin Jumoad of the Catholic Church in Basilan in Mindanao must be reading another Bible when he said, in a newspaper interview, that the rains, floods and strong rains Filipinos are suffering from in recent days could not be considered as “curses” from God.

I say this in all humility because anyone who will read the Christian Bible, particularly in its books of Deuteronomy (particularly its Chapter 28, verses 15 and 20) and of Matthew (particularly its Chapter 7, verses 24 to 27) will not fail to see that whatever tragedies and calamities that we are experiencing now were the result of the curses that God the Father and the Son both promised.

In particular, it is clear that these tragedies and calamities coming from God involve the curses of rains, floods and strong winds which God promised to a people who no longer listen to His Word and follow His commands and decrees.

-ooo-

THE TRAGEDIES OF RAINS, FLOODS AND CURSES ARE CURSES FROM GOD: In Matthew 7:24-27 (King James Version), the clarity of these curses is spelled out in the following manner: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.

“…And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock….

“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it…”

-ooo-

TURNING OUR BACKS ON GOD HAS BROUGHT HIS CURSES UPON US: In Deuteronomy 28:15 and 22, the promise of curses is made manifest in the following manner: “However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…

“…The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him….”

Taken together, all of these Biblical passages prove, beyond reasonable doubt, as it were, that the rains, floods and strong winds being experienced by Filipinos in recent days, which resulted to the death of about 700 or so people and the dislocation of about half a million people, represent curses from God.

-ooo-

THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THESE CURSES IS GOD’S SOLUTION ITSELF: The sooner we realize this, and the sooner we admit the fact that God’s curses are upon us because, as the Bible said, “of the evil we have done in forsaking him”, the easier it will be to find a solution.

For if we admit that these tragedies are curses from God which came to us as a result of our having turned our backs on Him, then we can follow the solution provided for by the Bible itself: we must lean to humble ourselves before God, to pray to Him, seek Him and turn from our wickedness.

If we refuse to accept the reality that these tragedies are curses from God, and pretend that they are mere environmental aberrations over which we have no control, I am sure more of these calamities are going to be visited upon, and may God bless us all of us when that happens.

-ooo-

DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: The third “Glorious Mystery” in the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians concerns itself about the “descent of the Holy Spirit”. This mystery is no longer a part of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but of the Book of Acts.

In its Chapter 2, verses 1 to 41, the Book of Acts tells us that while the disciples of Jesus were gathered in one place on the day of Pentecost, a sound like the blowing a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Then, the disciples saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them, filling them with the Holy Spirit, enabling them to speak in other tongues and languages. The Jews who saw and heard them speak in their own dialects were amazed.

Some however made fun of them, saying the disciples were simply drunk. Peter then addressed the non-believers, disputing that they were drunk for it was then only nine o’clock in the morning.

He also delivered an impassioned talk about salvation of sinners by repenting and being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, resulting in the conversion of about three thousand people as believers of Jesus.

This event also concretizes the promise of Jesus that He would send the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him, as promised by the Father in heaven (Luke 24:49).

ooo

BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Rotary gives long term help to RP typhoon victims; solar energy for Bukidnon sought

ROTARY GIVES LONG TERM HELP TO RP TYPHOON VICTIMS: Ms. Lyne Abanilla, the chairman for the last three years of Rotary International’s (RI) Public Imaging Resource Group for its Zone 7 covering the Philippines and Indonesia, says Rotary is now busy doing all it can to provide immediate and long term help to Filipinos affected by Typhoons Ondoy and Quedan.

Here is a press release she issued the other day on how Rotary International is providing this immediate and long term assistance:

“Members of Rotary International, one of the world’s largest humanitarian service organizations (www.rotary.org), are providing urgent relief to Philippine communities affected by Typhoons Parma and Ketsana – two major storms that, combined, killed at least 400 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

“As a community-based organization made up of business and professional leaders, Rotary is working through its clubs at the grassroots level to provide aid and assistance---both immediate and long term to those impacted by the storms.

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FILIPINO ROTARIANS DISTRIBUTE THOUSANDS OF RELIEF PACKS: “Philippine Rotary members immediately swung into action to facilitate relief operations to areas hit hard by the typhoon. Relief efforts include the following:

“1) Ten thousand relief packs of rice, noodles, sardines, hygiene kit, slippers and clothes, mats and blankets distributed in Marikina, Pasig, Cainta.

“2) Three thousand-five hundred relief packs distributed in Taguig, Pateros and Muntinlupa.

“3) Two thousand relief packs distributed in Zambales and Pampanga.

“4) Three-hundred life-saving tents in cooperation with ShelterBox (www.shelterbox.org), an international disaster relief charity supported by Rotary clubs around the world. Each 10-person tent contains blankets, water purification, cooking equipment and other essentials.

“Rotarians are continuing their relief efforts in coordination with the government. `A lot has to be done,’ said RI District 3790 Gov. Oyan Villanueva, one of those spearheading Rotary’s relief efforts.

“ `The rebuilding of the community does not end with what has been distributed,’ he added.

-ooo-

PHILIPPINE ROTARY APPEALS FOR MORE DONATIONS: “Rotary clubs in the Philippines are running an appeal for donations. For information regarding donations, please contact TASK FORCE BOTOLAN through Bert Misa at 09155070639.

“Or any interested party can send an email to the different Rotary district governors in the Philippines, at the following email addresses: office3790@yahoo.com, govsid0910@gmail.com or rudysf@yahoo.com or email Lyne Abanilla at lyneabanilla@yahoo.com.

“Rotary---an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide in humanitarian service---has more than 1.2 million members in more than 33,000 clubs in over 200 countries and geographic regions.

“As volunteers, Rotary members have been serving the needs of communities worldwide since 1905….”

-ooo-

SOLAR POWER FOR BUKIDNON PUSHED: Ramon Naguita, a Filipino who is making good in Ontario, Canada sent me the following article containing his appeal for help for a project he calls SOLARIZATION FOR A FARMING COMMUNITY IN BUKIDNON! (Pardon the capital letters, that was the way he sent it to me, through multiply.com):

“ NEW ILO-ILO, KIDAPUKAN, PANGANTUKAN, BUKIDNON, IS ONE OF THE MANY PLACES IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY, WHICH DIRELY NEEDS THE LIGHTING OF THEIR PLACE.

“THE POWER GRID FROM THE NATIONAL POWER CORPORATION IS TOO FAR AND EXPENSIVE TO CONNECT TO THIS PLACE SINCE THE RETURN OF INVESTMENT IS NOT FEASIBLE.

“IT IS ABOUT TO 12-15 KMS. AWAY AND WITH OVER 1 MILLION PESOS AS BUDGET PER KM. OF ELECTRICT CONNECTION, IT IS AS GOOD AS A DEAD INVESTMENT, FOR THE RESIDENTIAL PLACE….

-ooo-

SITIO NEW ILOILO NEEDS POTABLE WATER, ACCESS ROADS: “THIS PLACE WAS ABOUT 200 KMS. AWAY FROM DAVAO CITY, VIA MARAMAG-DON CARLOS WITH A BUS, STOPPING AT BARANGAY BOC-BOC, FROM HERE YOU HAVE TO TAKE A HABAL-HABAL ( SINGLE MOTOR BIKE ) FOR TRIP OF 25 TO 30 KMS.

“AND ONE HAS TO STOP AT BARANGAY MAUSWAGON OF DON CARLOS TOWNSHIP, TAKE A HORSE RIDE FOR 12 KMS., AND WALK THROUGH SLOPPY HILLS TO REACH THE PLACE: SITIO NEW ILO-ILO.

“IT IS A FARMING COMMUNITY WITH RICE AND CORN AS MAIN PRODUCE. WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE CAN DO TO THIS COMMUNITY TO IMPROVE THEIR WAY OF LIFE? BUILD A FARM TO MARKET ROAD?

“POTABLE DRINKING WATER MUST BE PROVIDED FOR THE PEOPLE, SINCE THEY TAKE WATER FROM A RIVER BANK ( CALLED TABAY ) WHICH IS DANGEROUS FOR WATERBORNE DISEASES…”

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Friday, October 9, 2009

Typhoons and calamities increase stroke and heart attacks

TYPHOONS AND CALAMITIES INCREASE STROKE AND HEART ATTACKS: Top Filipino cardiologist Dr. Adolfo Bellosillo, the founder and president of the Foundation for Lay Education of Heart Disease in the Philippines, is correct: typhoons and natural calamities that our countrymen are experiencing may increase strokes and heart attacks among them due to mental stress that could cause surges in blood pressure and faster heartbeats.

And he is also correct in saying that exercises, proper nutrition and avoidance of alcohol and cigarettes could help Filipinos fight and cope up with these dreaded diseases.

But the best antidote to stress, even without exercises, nutrition or avoidance of vices, is putting everything in our lives in God’s hands, trusting in Him more fully, and reading the Bible and following His commands, laws and decrees.

-ooo-

THE BIBLE PRESCRIBES BEST ANTIDOTES AGAINST STRESS: The Bible itself, in its many parts, prescribes how we can have a healthier life, even with the daily turmoils and stresses of daily living.

In Isaiah 40:31, the admonition goes like this: “…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint…”

In Proverbs 3:1-2, the assurance of a long and healthy life is given this way: “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.”

If we go further down Proverbs 3, especially in its verses 7 to 8, health of our body and nourishment of our bones is prescribed in this manner: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones…”

-ooo-

EATING OUR WAY TO A HEALTHY LIFE: An article in Yahoo! Health which I came across as I was writing this column interested me so much as it involves eating our way to a healthy life. Here is a part of the article, written by SELF editor Lucy Danziger:

“Want to lose weight as you chow down? Your wish is granted! (I promise, this is no fairy tale)…Read on to discover the eight foods that deserve a permanent spot in your fridge—and in your diet!

“Almonds. These yummy nuts are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can accelerate your metabolism of fats. In fact, dieters who ate 3 ounces of almonds daily slashed their weight and body-mass index by 18 percent, while those who skipped the nuts reduced both numbers less— just 11 percent—a study in the International Journal of Obesity revealed….

“Berries…Strawberries, raspberries and other vitamin C–spiked fruit can supercharge your workout, helping you burn up to 30 percent more fat, research from Arizona State University at Mesa has found….

-ooo-

HEALTHY FOODS GALORE: “Cinnamon. Adding 1/4 teaspoon to your plate may prevent an insulin spike—an uptick that tells your body to store fat.

“Mustard. It's heaven on a soft pretzel, but mustard may also be a weight loss wonder. Turmeric, the spice that gives mustard its color, may slow the growth of fat tissues, a study in the journal Endocrinology finds…

“Oranges. This citrus fruit, which contains fat-blasting compounds known as flavones, deserves to be your main squeeze. Women who ate the most flavones had a much lower increase in body fat over a 14-year period…

“Soybeans…Soybeans are rich in choline, a compound that blocks the absorption of fat and breaks down fatty deposits….

“Sweet potatoes. The colorful spuds' high-fiber content means they keep your insulin steadier than their white sisters, which means less fat packed on your hips, research finds….

“Swiss cheese. Calcium-rich foods reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase fat breakdown, and Swiss has more calcium than many of its cheesy peers. Choose the reduced-fat variety, such as Sargento….

-ooo-

BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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Thursday, October 8, 2009

Cojuangco vs. Cojuangco, too, in Tarlac’s 1st district?

COJUANGCO VS COJUANGCO IN TARLAC’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT? Tarlaquenos are bracing themselves for a looming fierce battle royale between the once-inseparable Cojuangco siblings where San Miguel Corporation Chairman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco was once the undisputed leader.

On one side of the equation stand Danding and brother Henry, while standing on the other side is their sister, Merceditas Cojuangco Teodoro, mother of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., and a former assemblywoman in the defunct Interim Batasang Pambansa representing Tarlac’s first district.

Our informants from Tarlac told us that because of a “misunderstanding” between Danding and Secretary Teodoro, Danding is fielding Henry for the congressional seat for the same first district in northern Tarlac, even if Merceditas is already aspiring for it, too.

-ooo-

INCUMBENT REP. NIKKI TEODORO NO LONGER RUNNING? Incumbent Rep. Nikki Prieto Teodoro, Merceditas’ daughter in law and wife of Secretary Gibo, is not anymore running, allegedly to concentrate on his campaign for the presidency in the May 2010 elections, as he is expected to be ultimately declared the Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard bearer in mid-October.

Surely, this one-on-one fight between Henry and Merceditas will be worse than the one-on-one fight between Danding and his first cousin, former Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, in the 1960s, for it is now a fight between siblings who were once thought to be politically-invincible in the province because of their unity and total and unqualified support for Danding.

This is going to be greatly distressing for many however, and is bound to confuse many important political leaders and even ordinary supporters of both Danding and Gibo, who are used to following only one leader during their lifetimes.

-ooo-

WE MUST READ THE BIBLE’S ADMONITION IN MATTHEW 7:24-27: I am repeating my call for repentance and a return to God for our people, in the light of reports that Typhoon Pepeng has made a third landfall in Northern Luzon Wednesday and Thursday, something that no other typhoon has done in the past.

What is greatly troubling in all these is the report that the destruction and devastation brought about by this third landfall continues to be great, with no immediate relief in sight.

It would seem that about 20 people have died since the third landfall of Pepeng, and more and more barangays in the Ilocos region and in the Cagayan Valley region are going under water due to the heavy rains and flooding coming from water released by the dams in the affected areas.

No one has the capacity to stop all of these but God, and so the only remedy is to be found with God. We must now endeavor to understand the import of what the Lord Jesus Christ was telling all of us in Matthew 7:24 to 27 of the Bible.

-ooo-

DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: The third “Glorious Mystery” in the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians concerns itself about the “descent of the Holy Spirit”. This mystery is no longer a part of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but of the Book of Acts.

In its Chapter 2, verses 1 to 41, the Book of Acts tells us that while the disciples of Jesus were gathered in one place on the day of Pentecost, a sound like the blowing a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Then, the disciples saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them, filling them with the Holy Spirit, enabling them to speak in other tongues and languages. The Jews who saw and heard them speak in their own dialects were amazed.

Some however made fun of them, saying the disciples were simply drunk. Peter then addressed the non-believers, disputing that they were drunk for it was then only nine o’clock in the morning.

He also delivered an impassioned talk about salvation of sinners by repenting and being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, resulting in the conversion of about three thousand people as believers of Jesus.

This event also concretizes the promise of Jesus that He would send the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him, as promised by the Father in heaven (Luke 24:49).

ooo

BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.

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BATAS INTERNET TV: “an invitation for investment”

BATAS INTERNET TV INTENDS TO OPERATE SOON:Is there anyone out there willing to invest in the establishment of an Internet TV which is beamed nationwide and worldwide at a minimum cost?

The Board of Management of BATAS INTERNET RADIO (www.batasmaurici.com and www.eradioportal.com) wants to know, as it furiously embarks on starting an Internet TV station using the present facilities of BATAS RADIO in a couple of months from now.

The objective is to use Internet video streaming to operationalize the Internet TV, which, initially, will feature the on-going programs of BATAS INTERNET RADIO which are now airing 20 hours a day, Mondays to Fridays, starting at 4 in the morning and ending at 12 midnight.

To be called BATAS INTERNET TV, the projected Internet television station hopes to strengthen the brand of public service being provided by BATAS INTERNET RADIO at the moment, particularly in three interactive fields: timely delivery of latest news from the Philippines and around the world, free counseling on legal issues and ordinary problems, and heightening spiritual awareness, regardless of religion.

-ooo

FINANCING REQUIREMENTS FOR BATAS TV: But these thrusts will require financing, particularly in the procurement of broadcast quality TV cameras and the other equipment required to transmit the video streaming from BATAS INTERNET RADIO.

I was made to understand that this kind of a system will require an initial investment of about Php1.5 million, even if only second-hand cameras and equipment will be installed.

Consequently, the Board of Management of BATAS INTERNET RADIO is circulating an “invitation for investment” from people who have money which are not needed by them at the moment and can part with such money in the meantime.

-ooo-

AN INVITATION FOR INVESTMENT: Here is the letter: “Friends: Salamat sa Diyos sa ngalan ni Jesus. I am writing this letter to you in the hope of finding partners in a venture that will see the establishment of an Internet television in the Philippines, broadcasting live from the Philippines nationwide and worldwide, using the facilities of BATAS INTERNET RADIO.

“The Internet TV, to be called BATAS INTERNET TV, will be very much like ABS CBN’s `Tele Radyo’ and DZRH’s RHTV…

“It is intended likewise to hit the cable stations in Metro Manila and nationwide, starting off with the cable companies in the provinces for easier access and faster integration, so that we can be seen locally likewise, anywhere in the Philippines….

“We have been told that we will need about one million five hundred thousand pesos (Php1,500,000.00) to cover these expenses. Perhaps, some of you, our esteemed friends, maybe interested to join us and invest in this venture, and can part with money not needed by you in the meantime…

“…The investors will then be given priority preference in the pro-rated distribution of any income that maybe generated by the Internet TV, after operations….”

If there is anyone out there interested to invest, please call 0917 984 2468, or email me at batasmauricio@yahoo.com, or at batasradio@yahoo.com.

-ooo-

ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: The fourth “Glorious Mystery” in the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians is the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which deals with the taking up into heaven of Mary, body and soul.

Even among Christians though, this is a controversial issue, with many of the so-called believers outside of the Catholic faith insisting that the assumption of Mary into heaven did not happen.

But the teachings of Roman Catholic Christians point to the occurrence of the event, and Catholic popes and leaders from the 3rd century on actually cite many portions of the Bible to justify this belief.

In Wikipedia, an item on the assumption of Mary contains this explanation: “All these passages – John 14:3, Isaiah 60:13, Luke 1:28, Song of Songs 8:5, 1st Corinthians 15:21-26, Psalms 132:8, Psalms 45:9-17, Song of Songs 3:6, 4:8, 6:9, Genesis 3:15, and Revelation 12:1-2 – are drawn upon as Scriptural support of the Assumption both in that original document, and today by Catholic apologists.”

The prevailing thought is that these Biblical references show that Jesus would not have allowed His own mother to have died and her flesh to have degenerated to dust, and that considering Mary’s role in giving birth to the “seed” (Jesus) that will crush Satan, it is believed that the fate of Jesus in ascending to heaven body and soul is the same fate that happened to Mary.

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