Monthly Archives: March 2013
The Dynamic of the Filipino Diaspora
by Rodel Rodis
March 1, 2013
Organizers of the 2nd Global Summit of Filipinos in the Diaspora—set to convene February 25-27, 2013 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City—hope that the conference will “track the progress and highlight the best practices of Diaspora engagement.” This is the broad mission laid out by the Summit’s principal sponsor, the Commission of Filipinos Overseas (CFO) which seeks to harness the resources and energy of the 12 million overseas Filipinos in support of its “flagship program- Diaspora to Development (D2D)”. cfo.gov.ph Continue reading
Breastfeeding and its magic
by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
March 1, 2013
One of the wonders of nature is the inherent ability of the mother after giving birth to produce milk and sustain her young by breastfeeding. Interestingly, in human and among other mammals, the newborn comes with the instinct of sucking and searching for the nipple, and the mother’s breasts at that point in time, through a most sophisticated postpartum hormonal physiology, are generally ready to manufacture milk for the baby. All this happens so naturally and so efficiently coordinated that we might deduce that breastfeeding not only provides nutrition for daily sustenance but more essential ingredients for long term survival of the species. Continue reading
Pag Nagka-Papa na Filipino
by Fermin Salvador.
March 1, 2013
Isa raw sa mga “papabile” o malakas na kontender sa pagka-Santo Papa si Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle na kasalukuyang Arsobispo ng Maynila. Waring ‘first time’ na may Filipino na napabilang sa hanay ng mga “papabile”. Sa mga kasapi ng global na kumunidad ng mga bansang Katoliko, mistulang sanggol lang ang Pilipinas. Kulang sa limang siglo pa lang ang Kristiyanismo/Katolisismo sa Pilipinas na unang ipinakilala ni Fernando Magalyanes sa pagsisimula ng ika-14 na siglo. Nauna pang mahigit isang siglo na naipakilala sa ating kapuluan ang Islam. Continue reading
MOMENTO MORI! (Extreme Lent)
by Fred C. Wilson III
March 1, 2013
Lent rings a bell with most Christians. It’s that transforming time each year when bad habits are broken and sinful living supplanted by virtuous lifestyles. The permanent practice of virtue should be the goal of every Lent. Every inch towards eternal Salvation shows real progress. Why waste 40 plus days of a real invitation to change our lives? Continue reading
Obama Can’t Have It Both Ways
by Don Azarias
March 1, 2013
I don’t know if the reelected President Barack Obama knows that he can’t have it both ways.
During his 2008 presidential campaign and in his first inaugural address, he spoke of various social service programs and entitlements for all Americans that also include blanket coverage for illegal immigrants. It was a shrewd political strategy to ensure his victory in the polls. And he used the same campaign strategy in 2012 when he declared his support for gay marriage and the DREAM Act, midway through the campaign, in order to ingratiate himself to the gay community and to the Hispanic and other minority groups. Continue reading
Isabella Marie and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
by Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
March 1, 2013
In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zecharias, an old priest married to Elizabeth, an old woman. Both were good persons, but they were childless. When the angel Gabriel told Zecharias that his wife Elizabeth would soon conceive, Zecharias was dumb-founded, literally. Continue reading
What is Sabah worth?
March 1, 2013
To the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, Sabah is only worth 5,300 ringgits (the equivalent of US$1,500), the annual rent the Sultanate has been receiving from the Federation of Malaysia since 1963 when the federation was created from a group of former British colonies including Sabah. But with Sabah’s large quantity of natural resources including oil and gas, the revenue generated is out of proportion to the rent paid to the Sultanate of Sulu. It’s cheap… obscenely cheap! Continue reading
Doubling Down on Pinoy Power
Speaking at the recently concluded 2nd Global Summit of Filipinos in the Diaspora at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, Loida Nicolas Lewis called for the registration of one million more overseas Filipino absentee voters who will vote in time for the 2016 presidential elections. Her call, according to reports, drew an immediately warm response and support from hundreds of conference participants, most of whom are overseas workers and residents, who travelled from across the globe for the 3-day conference. Continue reading
Vigilance works
March 1, 2013
This convoluted congressional battle over issues of gun control, debt reduction, sequester, immigration reforms, Section 5 of voting rights act, affordable care act and a hundred more concerns will go on forever at the expense of real and progressive reforms if people like us do nothing. Continue reading
Krista Miller breaks silence, denies any romance with Cesar Montano
March 1, 2013
He maybe attractive and good looking but he is not my type. Neophyte actress Krista Miller was referring to actor-director Cesar Montano as she finally broke her silence and denied allegations for several weeks now of a brewing romance with him. “Hindi po (Not true),” the comely young actress said of the allegations of a romance with the award-winning actor. Continue reading