ON A PAPAL VISIT

ON A PAPAL VISIT
Pope Francis' extraordinary impact on people attending the World Youth Day in Brazil reminded me of my own experience of a Papal visit, of Pope John Paul II's first visit to the Philippines (yes, he visited the Philippines twice! ). I woke up at 2am to travel from my city (Cadiz City) to Bacolod City together with other CAT cadets to provide augmentation security for St. Pope JP II. My mother prepared the night before my baon of a few bites of hotdog sandwiches, lunch of rice and fried fish, and 1 liter of drinking water . We rode a cargo truck (used for sugarcanes), standing, back and forth. Stood up from 7am till after JP II left at around 3pm. We were fortunate enough to have been stationed immediately below (not under) the stage where JP II addressed the people. Our fatigue uniform was soaked with sweat, and we were literally squashed by the pressure of the swarming crowd. Up to this day, I still wonder how or where we got all the strength to withstand the physical challenges that tiem we were by JP II's stage. Surely I can't forget his smile when he was directly above us as he went around the stage so as to wave and greet the faithful present. I can't understand why, but I still remember my tears freely flowing as he was smiling at us. I didn't know so much of the Catholic Church then, as I was practically a "Sunday Catholic". Everything I've learned in grades 2 and 3 in a Catholic school, were all vague memories then. However, that afternoon with "Lolek" (JP II's nickname), gave me that poignant sense of God and of my being Catholic. I won't be surprised if my experience with JP II were also identical to what those in WYD also experienced or felt. VIVA IL PAPA! VIVA PAPA JOHANNES PAULUS! VIVA PAPA FRANCSECO! AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM!

"Yaya"/Nanny SLAPPING, SPANKING, CHOKING, VIOLENTLY SHAKING 3-month old hapless baby

That "Yaya" shown on TV SLAPPING, SPANKING, CHOKING, VIOLENTLY SHAKING that 3-month old hapless baby has her family now crying "Frame up!" Frame up my guffaw! The CCTV can't lie. There are just lines that people shouldn't cross! That heinous "Yaya" should be made to answer the whole nine yards of her dastardly act. The baby's parents shouldn't allow for out-of-court settlement. The fact that she still hasn't come out says a lot about the Yaya's character. I can't help but suspect that it's not out of simple fear that she's now hiding, but more of the fact that she and her family may still be trying to elicit sympathy so that she can easily get off the hook. Come on! There just are lines one shouldn't be allowed to cross!

INFORMAL SETTLERS, CIRCA 2013 (LOOKING WAY BACK 1989 IN PAYATAS B)

In 1989-1991, as a seminarian of San Jose Seminary (inside Ateneo De Manila), my weekend apostolate area was Payatas B in Quezon City. Payatas B was then the newly opened dumpsite of garbage for the whole Metro Manila, after Tondo's Smokey Mountain was permanently closed. However, together with the garbage were also lumped the informal settlers (more commonly called as "squatters" then) relocated, either forcibly or otherwise, by different Metro Manila cities or municipalities. Up to this day, I still clearly remember how, when we sleep in a given isolated shanty in Payatas on a Saturday night, the next morning we'll be amazed and surprised to wake up already with neighbors. Literally, the shanties around our once-isolated shanty grew like mushrooms overnight (nagsulputang mga kabute nga! :) ). And I thought then that with Payatas B, the tragic saga of informal settlers (then aka squatters) of Metro Manila, had already been concluded. But I was naively mistaken. NOW, NCR/Metro Manila again has to deal with a resuscitated problem of informal settlers. Indeed, even after more than twenty years, just as in so many things wrong with our country's life, the informal settler issue is still a grim specter which has never ceased to haunt us. An issue whose roots are strongly anchored in so many many vicious elements. Among such elements are the predatory politicians who offer haven, and all other promises to hapless poverty-stricken internal immigrants into their territories primarily to get their votes during elections. Ergo, I believe that if we really intend to find long-term and humane solution to this informal issue problem, methinks we must begin by resolutely dealing with these predatory vote-hungry politicians.