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MABUHAY PRRD!

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Jay Sonza On Aquino’s Denial About Dengvaxia: “Huling Huli Ang Mga Hinayupak!”



    Jay Sonza, a veteran journalist and a supporter of President Duterte called former president Benigno Aquino III a Pontius Pilate for denying that he had anything to do with it.
But Sonza doesn’t believe it, how can he claim that he doesn’t know when he was the highest commanding person and everything will pass through him and wait for his approval?

Senate

The continuation of the Senate hearing regarding the Dengvaxia scandal was conducted yesterday, February 26, 2018, where Aquino attended.
Aquino also told the senators that had he known the findings, he would have stopped the program.
Aside from that, he still reiterated that he doesn’t know anything about it. But Jay Sonza doesn’t believe him.

Caught by his own mouth

Sonza said that he doesn’t believe that Aquino doesn’t know anything about it since it was already said in the hearing that DOH savings were used to purchase Dengvaxia.
Nahuhuli ang isda sa bibig. Sa Congressional hearing ngayon: Sabi mismo ni former DBM Sec. Abad na DOH savings ang ginamit na pondong pambili ng Dengvaxia vaccine.
Sa ilalim ng batas, hindi maaring gamitin ang savings ng walang recommending approval ng DOH at DBM. Samakatuwid, rekomendado ni Sec. Garin at Abad ang pambili.
Tanging ang Pangulo Aquino lamang ang may obligasyon o responsibilidad na aprobahan ito. (only the president has the final authority for realigning and spending budgetary savings)
SO, HINDI PUWEDENG IKATUWIRAN NI NOYNOY WALANG SIYANG ALAM DAHIL SIYA ANG APPROVING AUTHORITY, WALA NG IBA PA. Hindi siya maaring maghugas kamay sa usaping ito. Huling huli ang mga hinayupak.

Photo Screenshot: Jay Sonza/Facebook
https://pinoythinking.net/local-news/jay-sonza-on-aquinos-denial-about-dengvaxia-huling-huli-ang-mga-hinayupak/

February 28, 2018 - Put God at the Center


Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent 

Matthew 20: 17-28

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, though I cannot see you with my eyes, I believe you are present to me now, in my innermost being, and that you know me far better than I know myself. I also know that you love me much more than I love my own self. Thank you for loving and watching over me, though I don’t deserve your love. In return, I offer you my sorrow for my sins and my hopes to love you more each day.

Petition: Lord, wean me from dependence on human honors and approval.

1. Seeking the Limelight: James and John rub shoulders with that temptation the devil puts before every apostle: “What’s in it for me, Lord?” We start out our apostolic work with purity of intention, but if we are careless, it soon becomes “purely attention.” That is why we should always be willing to submit our work to the approval of the proper ecclesiastical authorities. Christ steered clear from all power grabs and squabbles. John would alert Christ, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Christ simply replied, “Do not prevent him … for whoever is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:38-9).

2. Christ is Never Discouraged: Christ has just told his apostles of his passion, and it weighs heavily on his heart. Drowning in their own fascination for recognition, however, they are completely oblivious to Christ’s sufferings. He doesn’t let himself get discouraged. Rather, he gently helps them to look beyond themselves to follow his lead of self-giving to the point of death.

3. Putting Others First: “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (John 6:27). Human recognition is passing; it doesn’t even last a lifetime. Even in heaven human recognition will be useless—our eyes will be fixed on God, not on each other or ourselves. However, we do know by faith that God will reward us in heaven according to our merits. He will exalt us for serving others, especially when we bring others to love and serve him. Am I convinced of this? What ephemeral honors am I hankering after? How can I put Christ and serving him first in my life?

Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, too often I compare myself with others. It's easy for me to find or imagine my superiority. I ignore you and your great goodness. I forget that everything I have comes from you and that I can't claim credit for any of my qualities and virtues. Help me to keep this truth in mind so I may have an attitude of genuine humility in my heart.

Resolution: I will pray a special prayer for humility every day this week.

SONA: Rappler reporter na si Pia Ranada, pinagbabawalan nang mag-cover sa Malacañang

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

LAGMAN NAGSISINUNGALING PA!! MUSLIM LEADER SINU-PAL-PAL SI SYA NG SABIHIN ANG KATOTOHAN!

Ed Lingao validates Mocha Uson’s “EDSA people power is Fake News” survey

The Opposition’s “thought leaders” are, yet again, getting all their panties twisted, this time over an online poll conducted by Assistant Secretary for Social Media Mocha Uson. In a survey posted on Facebook, Uson asked her followers, “Naniniwala ba kayo na ang 1986 EDSA PEOPLE POWER ay isang produkto ng FAKE NEWS???” (Translated: “Do you believe that the 1986 EDSA People Power [Revolution] is a product of fake news???”).
As of this writing, at least 61,800 Facebook users responded to the poll with more than 84 percent of them casting a “Yes” vote and, as such, agreeing that the EDSA “revolution” was, indeed, a product of “fake news”.
It did not take long before an outrage fad erupted and took hold of the who’s-who crowd of the Opposition’s chi-chi social media “influencers” community. No less than the eminent “journalist” Ed Lingao responded with an open letter to Uson also posted on Facebook. His first argument is a familiar one: “I suppose wala ka naman duon…” (“I suppose you weren’t there.”).
Lingao goes further to write…
What I cannot understand is where you get the nerve to imply that [EDSA] was all theatrics.
If you want samples of theatrics, there are more appropriate samples out there, like the one on a lady assistant secretary’s blog where she shows herself plinking targets with a rifle, with the caption that says “training kahapon bago pumunta sa Mindanao.” Or one where she is reading law books.
…and closes with another familiar sort of argument:
BTW, did you know that your Tatay’s mother Nanay Soling was part of the anti-dictatorship movement, and led the Yellow Friday group in Davao? Could she have taken part in the local “drama” in Davao too?
It is actually quite laughable that an esteemed “journalist” like Lingao (not to mention his legions of social media amigas) would give Uson’s latest stunt the time of day and, while at it, miss the real point altogether by a mile.
The real point one could have easily made (had one been a bit more thoughtful and a bit less screechy about this circus) is that the reason 84 percent of respondents to Uson’s poll agreed with her is that these respondents are likely overwhelmingly made up of her followers. That alone would have cast Uson’s stunt within a better frame of thinking. Uson’s poll results, unlike those published by the likes of Pulse Asia and SWS, do not pretend to have any real science behind it. Its respondents (being mostly her followers) do not comprise a random sample that is representative of the Philippine population.
Taking the time to seriously consider the outcome of Uson’s survey is no different to concluding, on the basis of how many people agree with, say, Jim Paredes’s tweets (using retweets and likes as “evidence”), that the EDSA “People Power Revolution” was the most awesome single event in Philippine history. Indeed, it is no different to how a big swathe of misguided minds continue to take as “fact” a list of “fake news sites” issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) despite the same lack of any sound basis nor consistent set of criterion used to cobble together such a list.
Funny enough, Lingao, took the shrieky path and went on to post an emotionally-charged but intellectually flat response rather than encourage his audience to think and soundly conclude that Uson’s poll is best taken with a grain of salt.
Lingao, in effect, validates the outcome of Uson’s survey that 84% of Filipinos seemingly believe that the EDSA “people power revolution” is a figment of the national imagination by responding to this dubious conclusion tit for tat. Lingao was being defensive rather than circumspect. The fact that Yellowtards like Lingao find the need to respond to every insinuation about EDSA throws light into the crisis that grips — and paralyses — the Philippine Opposition today.
The ascendancy of the 1986 EDSA “People Power Revolution” has practically become the last standing pillar that creakily props up the Yellowtard ideology. Gone is the ascendancy of the “yellow” brand as a symbol of virtue following “vice president” Leni Robredo’s call for people to avoid the colour in last weekend’s anniversary mass actions. The Roman Catholic Church no longer draws adherents to the Yellowtard cause as well seeing how the sight of nuns and priests in protest rallies attract ridicule and no longer the warm fuzzy veneration they had come to be used to. And the Second Aquino Administration proved to be such an immense disaster that an entire nation was lost to a dark horse that galloped into Imperial Manila from Mindanao in 2016. Thus it is hardly surprising that the EDSA “Revolution” event is now being defended by the Yellowtards with such Taliban-like fervour.
Once again, it cannot be emphasized enough: The Philippine Opposition needs to ditch the Yellowtards. These obsolete fundamentalists form the single biggest piece of useless baggage that is preventing the Opposition from stepping up to being the worthy political counterweight to the popular government of current Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. For a democracy to truly serve a nation, a competent, intelligent, and modern opposition force is essential. Sadly the one today being led by the Yellowtards fails at every measure. And, in his zeal to be seen to be a champion of an obsolete cause, Ed Lingao has, yet again, proven this sad fact.
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About benign0

benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.

http://www.getrealphilippines.com/blog/2018/02/ed-lingao-validates-mocha-usons-edsa-people-power-is-fake-news-survey/

RAPPLER MAGALING GUMAWA NG KWENTO 'Nagkamali kayo ng binangga' - TP | Wikileaks Julian Assange 2/27

PIA RANADA MAHAHATID SA KULUNGAN DAHIL SA PEKENG ARTICLE LABAN KAY BONG GO

ABOGADO NATUWA SA PAGKAKA BAN NI PIA RANADA SA PALASYO

May you spend the rest of your life in jail—Sec. Harry Roque to Sen De Lima

EDSA PEOPLE WERPA PALPAK 'Hindi nagtagumpay sa balak na patalsikin si Duterte’ - Niño Barzaga 2/26

February 27, 2018 - Actions Speak Louder Than Words


Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent 

Matthew 23: 1-12

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-- the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, though I cannot see you with my eyes, I believe you are present to me now, in my innermost being, and that you know me far better than I know myself. I also know that you love me much more than I love my own self. Thank you for loving and watching over me, though I don’t deserve your love. In return, I offer you my sorrow for my sins and my hopes to love you more each day.

Petition: Lord, help me to be humble like you.

1. Disinterested Charity: How do we know that we are truly working for God? When we are willing to work for him for nothing. God calls some missionaries to work with the poor, who can repay their benefactors with nothing more than smiles and gratitude. Other missionaries work with the humanly and spiritually poor, who neither recognize their neediness nor value the work of Christian evangelization. Parents put in long, hidden hours of service to sustain their families, often without receiving a simple “thank you.” Christ shunned human recognition not just with his words: when the people wanted to make him king, he hurried off to proclaim the Good News somewhere else. Do I value my charity towards others more than I value any position of authority? Do I seek the praise of others for the good deeds I do?

2. Little Misunderstandings: Christian authority comes not from titles or positions, but from our faithful adherence to Christ’s commandment of charity and service. We should welcome misunderstanding in the face of our doing good. It means that God is inviting us to attain a higher level in our charity and Christian leadership. With his fidelity, Christ shows us that we have every reason to believe in the fulfillment of God’s promise. The book of Wisdom shows us that misunderstanding is part of God’s plan: “He calls blest the destiny of the just and boasts that God is his Father. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him” (Wisdom 2: 16-20).

3. The Cross is Our Claim to Glory: “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32). Christ did not lift himself up for others to notice; he refused to exalt himself. He refused the places of honor at banquets (he sat with the tax collectors), seats of honor in synagogues (they threw him out), and special greetings in marketplaces (“Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18)). His silence infuriated Pilate: “Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?” (John 19:10). They asked Christ to exalt himself by coming down from the cross, and he refused. This is the real test of our trust and love: trusting that God really cares for us when he allows us to be crucified for being faithful, and loving that crucifixion by embracing it willingly for the good of souls.

Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, I know I will never be able to be as humble as you, but I want to desire and work for the greatest degree of humility possible for me. I want to leave behind the pride that has damaged so many areas of my life. I want to have your example always fresh in my mind so that I can keep advancing—not in order to glory in my own perfection, but in order to please you and do your will.

Resolution: I will think of the relationship in my life where my pride is most destructive. I will take concrete steps to deal with that person more positively and humbly.

Monday, February 26, 2018

PIA RANADA PINAGTAWANAN SA HONG KONG; TP BINIGYAN NG JACKET | Inday Sara Tapang at Malasakit 2/25

SEC. HARRY ROQUE SINUPALPAL SI LEILA SALAVERRIA NG INQUIRER SA KANYANG MGA TANONG

EDSA PEOPLE WERPA INANGKIN NG LP 'Ginamit na propaganda for 30 years pero walang nagbago' - TP 2/26

'LENI ROBREDO NILAGLAG NA NG LIBERAL PARTY, BOBA KASI. KAYA PINAPAING SI BAM AQUINO'- Thinking Pinoy

The Philippine Opposition is obsolete and needs to be replaced with one focused on nation building

What next?
Again, this is the question Filipinos are left with following this year’s “EDSA People Power Revolution” anniversary. Specifically, the question of how exactly to build upon the experience of this 1986 “revolution” has become a head-scratcher for most. It all seemed clear back then — how “freedom” would be the foundation upon which a better Philippines will be built. In hindsight, it turns out that this notion was nebulous at best as it offers no substance that go towards grasping the actual realities of building a strong nation.
A strong nation after all, like strong people, is not built upon a foundation of indulgence. Indeed, like kids raised in a household of permissiveness and a lack of behavioural boundaries, a nation where “freedom” and not discipline guides behaviour becomes weak and fails to develop character with age.
As is quite evident now, what Filipinos regard as the most seminal evident in their recent history — this so-called “revolution” of 1986 — is now seen to be the source of everything that had gone wrong with the Philippines in the last several decades. There are no boundaries to balance the “freedom” that had become the rallying cry of today’s “activists”. We can see this sadspoilt brat behaviour in how Rappler CEO Maria Ressa (arguably one of the pre-eminent “thought leaders” of the Opposition) has manufactured an entire outrage fad around “press freedom” to bury the real issue of her firm’s violation of corporate regulation. It is like an adolescent throwing a tantrum about her “rights” after being grounded for coming home from a party at two in the morning once too many.
More importantly, you need steel and concrete stuff laid on the ground to build real nations upon. Filipinos cannot eat “freedom”. They cannot transport goods and workers over the corpses of “martyrs”. Knowledge and intellect and not “prayers” result in the development of wondrous technology that creates jobs and world-class brands. Real courage exhibited before real challenges and threats moves nations forward — not “courage” to screech about mere outrage fads concocted by hipster social climbers and iPad-tapping “influencers”. Statues of “heroes” and Catholic icons are good at inspiring the hopeless, but these symbols are useless before switched-on people who aspire to be truly independent, self-sufficient, and seek success on the back of who they are rather than on the basis of who they are told to be.
I cannot emphasize enough what a big failure the Philippine Opposition continues to be in a time of such abundant opportunity. It continues to apply an ideology aimed at whiners and losers and not one that inspires winners, innovators, and risk-takers. The Opposition is damaging an entire society at many levels in its focus on the past, its pandering to victim mentality, its resorting to alliances with communists and organised religion, and its demonisation of strength founded on substance and reality and lionisation of political correctness that panders to fragile egos.
It is ironic that the Philippine Opposition still directs its traditional slogan Tama Na, Sobra Na! (“enough is enough”) at the incumbent administration. Filipinos should actually be addressing this slogan to this Opposition instead. We should be shouting Tama Na, Sobra Na! at the Opposition and the bizarrely perverse manner with which they continue to cling on to the tired script that keeps Filipinos imprisoned in obsolete thinking and the overall political discourse stagnant and uninspiring.
If there is anything that needs to be replaced, it is the Philippine Opposition. An overhaul of the decrepit characters that propagate an obsolete and counterproductive narrative is long overdue. It’s time for Filipinos to re-baseline their historical context from one hinged on a mythology of “heroes” and “freedom” to one firmly gounded on substance and the reality of global competition. The world does not owe Filipinos success.
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About benign0

benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.

http://www.getrealphilippines.com/blog/2018/02/the-philippine-opposition-is-obsolete-and-needs-to-be-replaced/

February 26, 2018 - Forgiveness from the Heart


Monday of the Second Week of Lent 

Luke 6: 36-38

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."

Introductory Prayer: Dear Jesus, too often I compare myself with others. It's easy for me to find or imagine my superiority to them. I ignore you and your great goodness. I forget that everything I have comes from you and that I can't claim the credit for any quality and virtue, although I would like to. I wish to keep this truth in mind and to have an attitude of genuine humility in my heart. Here I am, Lord, to know and love you more through prayer.

Petition: Lord, help me to forgive from the heart.

1. The True Battlefield: Although it is difficult, we can usually bring ourselves around to excuse an injustice we have suffered. We forget about what happened, and we try to move forward. However, it is more difficult for us to forgive when we look into our offender’s heart and refuse to turn a blind eye to the goodness that is there. Our hearts are a battleground for good and evil, and to forgive is to be willing to help both the offender and ourselves overcome the logic of evil. It is to wager on the side of good and to trust that goodness is ultimately more attractive to the human heart than the idol of evil. Christ always looked into the heart and wagered on the side of good.

2. Turning the Other Cheek: “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32). Christian forgiveness involves waiving our claim to damages. It means turning the other cheek. It means giving up our cloak as well. Yet all this is relatively easy in comparison to giving over our good name, to proceeding in charity even when we will be misunderstood. Even here, we must waive our claim to damages, willingly die in the furrow, and patiently await the Father to raise us up again.

3. Going the Entire Distance: The Christian ethic is positive. It does not consist merely in not doing bad things but in doing good things; building up positively. We change the world little by not doing things. Christ was not satisfied with that. He gave up his tunic, he gave up his good name, and he gave up everything—to the last drop of his blood. So often we feel good about ourselves because we measure up to our neighbor; but it is not our neighbor with whom we must compare ourselves. It is God with whom we must compare ourselves, and he has shown us how to be fruitful: by paying our ransom with his own blood. In forgiveness and mercy, his generosity is without measure.

Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, help me to seek perfection in loving you and my neighbor constantly. I want to travel the path of generous love because it is your path, and you are the source of all my happiness.

Resolution: I will be the first to offer an apology or a solution to build unity in my home and workplace.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

SARAH DUTERTE NALOKA KAY THINKING PINOY DAHIL MAY SINABI HABANG NASA SPEECH SA #TapangAtMalasakit

February 25, 2018 -Seeking the Face of God


Second Sunday of Lent

Mark 9:2-10

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you revealed to Peter, James and John a glimpse of your future glory in order to strengthen them for the cross. I know that you also wish to strengthen me with your presence so that I may carry my cross well and one day see you face-to-face. I entrust myself to you now through this prayer, seeking to love you with all my mind, heart, soul and strength.

Petition: Lord, show me your face.

1. Man’s Desire for God: Jesus spends much time in union with his Father through prayer. In the Gospel today he climbs the mountain to pray, as is his custom. It is an attitude that reflects man’s desire to be in contact and in union with the divine. There must have been something truly awesome in how Our Lord prayed, for his apostles ask him to teach them. They want the same intimacy they see that Jesus has with the Father. Can I truly say that I ardently long for a greater intimacy with Christ? Do I believe confidently that anyone who seeks God with a sincere heart will find him? How pleasing it is to God the Father when we, his children, turn to him in earnest, filial prayer.

2. Climbing the Mountain of Prayer: The image of the “holy mountain” is found throughout the Scriptures from Abraham to Moses, and it is often present in Jesus’ public ministry. A mountain is a physical place, but it also represents for us our seeking God’s face in prayer. Our prayer is the ascent of this “holy mountain” to an encounter with our Father. Are we prepared to make this ascent, knowing this involves setbacks and dryness along the way? The Catholic Catechism describes prayer as a battle: “Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as we live, because we live as we pray…” (CCC 2725).  Am I ready to make the effort of climbing ever upwards through prayer? Do I live as I pray, and am I satisfied with that kind of praying and living?

3. The Tools for Climbing: Every good mountain climber has the tools he needs to make the ascent. We, too, have the tools we need. First, we have the Gospels themselves, which give us a clear picture of Jesus. “He who has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9). Let us meditate frequently on them and ask Our Lord to reveal himself to us through them. Second, we have the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist. In the former, we encounter God’s merciful love lavished upon us, restoring us to our filial relationship with him. In the latter, we receive Love himself, Jesus Christ, who has remained in the sacrament so that we could be united with him. Is my prayer well-grounded in a fervent sacramental life?

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I thank you for remaining with us in the Eucharist. It is here especially that I can go to seek your face, to know you more intimately and to grow in my love for you. Increase my love for you; may I return love for love.

Resolution: Today I will take at least five minutes of my time to seek Our Lord in prayer, asking his grace for my needs and the needs of all my loved ones.

  

Saturday, February 24, 2018

THINKING PINOY LIVE HONGKONG | Garin sues Dengvaxia Critics | Pre-EDSA Media Blitz

February 24, 2018 - Be Perfect?


Saturday of the First Week of Lent 

Matthew 5:43-48

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you became a man in order to show me, in your own flesh and blood, the way to holiness. In every word and deed of yours recorded in the Gospel, you teach and reveal to me the secret of a life worthy of eternity. I believe that you are with me now, and that you will use these moments of prayer to increase my faith, hope and love. Here I am, Lord, to know, love and serve you with all my heart. Amen.

Petition: Lord, help me to seek holiness out of love for you and others. Amen.

1. “Be Perfect” Who is telling us to be perfect? Christ the Word, he through whom all things were made, through whom we came into being: our Lord, our Creator, who from all eternity longs to see each one of us be made perfect in love. This is not a suggestion; it is a command. He says it to his disciples with energy, even knowing that for them alone it is impossible. For God, though, nothing is impossible. We are reminded today that our saintliness is a possibility; it is God’s plan. Miracles happen when we believe. God is not through with any one of us yet. All God asks is that we be perfect – not a whle life in one fell swoop – but, rather, every present moment, one at a time. That is what I have – this present moment. This is what I have to perfect.

2. Why Does God Command Us to Become Perfect? God’s demand that we seek and strive after the perfection of holiness becomes more understandable when we contemplate the increasingly dire situation of our world. That world, so gravely in need of Christ’s salvation, is the starkest and most palpable reason why any one of us should pursue holiness. What is the value of Christian holiness in the world? One early Christian apologist put it in these terms:

To sum up all in one word –– what the soul is in the body, that are Christians in the world. The flesh hates the soul, and wars against it, though itself suffering no injury, because it is prevented from enjoying pleasures; the world also hates the Christians, though in nowise injured, because they abjure pleasures. The soul loves the flesh that hates it, and [loves also] the members; Christians likewise love those that hate them” (From the Letter to Diognetus).

3. Seeking Holiness is a Labor of Love: In a world of shifting sands, we can offer solid ground; in a world of blind forces of spiritual and material violence, we can offer the persuasive power of Christian goodness. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta was heard to say that holiness is not the privilege of a few, but the obligation of all. When with simple and profound faith, we delve into that link between our striving for holiness and the salvation of souls, we can discover a new impetus and a new strength. The challenge of seeking holiness can become a labor of love, driven by a heart aflame with zeal for the salvation of all our brothers and sisters.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, the world needs men and women of God; the world needs saints. I know this. I know you call me in a personal, urgent and insistent way to seek my holiness. For the sake of my brothers and sisters, for their salvation, Lord, make me holy. Amen.  

Resolution: I will dedicate some time today to pray to Our Lady and entrust to her, with living faith and childlike simplicity, the entire project of my personal sanctification.

Friday, February 23, 2018

RAPPLER WALA NANG PAG ASANG MAKAPASOK SA MALACAÑANG

February 23, 2018 - Pretending to Be and Truly Being Holy


Friday of the First Week of Lent
Father Alex Yeung, LC 

Matthew 5:20-26

"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for this time I can now spend with you. You constantly fill my life with so many blessings. How ungrateful I am at times! I wish to collaborate more perfectly in establishing your Kingdom on earth. I love you Lord, and with the help of your grace I will strive to become someone to whom any soul can come in order to discover your truth, your life, your love. Take my life, take this day and make it yours. Amen.

Petition: Father, help me to shun hypocrisy and seek true holiness.

1. Subjective Impressions: How much righteousness would it take to surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees? Not much, we suspect. Theirs was holiness in appearance only, which is to say no holiness. And what would one discover on the “inside” of such a soul? Plenty of self-deception; plenty of self-indulgent complacency in a subjective impression of holiness; a repugnant holier-than-thou demeanor. It’s easy enough for us to read the Gospel and wrinkle our noses at those bad ol’ Pharisees. In fact, it’s about as easy as telling ourselves that we could never come under the spell of our own subjective impression of holiness. That is why we must always be ready to examine ourselves, before Christ and with an acute awareness of our misery and limitations. Do I live my life engaged in a genuine pursuit of holiness or in a genuine pursuit of my own vanity and self-glorification?

2. Humility is the True Test of Holiness: Pride and personal holiness mix about as well as oil and water. Where our ego is, little if any room is left for God. What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ but to be someone who fills himself totally with God in order to bring him within the reach of everyone. But what union, grace or friendship with God can there be in a proud soul? What fervor, what degree of holiness? There is no possible compromise between God and a proud soul – either the soul would have to let go of itself, or God would have to stop being God.

3. Integrity is the Heart of the Matter: At the heart of genuine holiness is the virtue of integrity, a virtue rich in nuances and meaning. Integrity means being a person with only one face, a person who is the same on the inside and on the outside: “what you see is what you get”. Indeed, integrity is foundational for holiness, because it constitutes the very essence of personal honesty and sincerity, which are fundamental for the moral life and the seedbeds for a host of other virtues. In our pursuit of holiness, we should never tolerate duplicity of any kind in our behavior. We should avoid like the plague the least hint of ambivalence in our motivations, or incongruity between our thoughts, judgments, choices and actions. There can be no holiness without integrity. In fact, there can be no genuine human happiness unless it lies on the bedrock virtue of integrity.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want you to be the meaning and center of my entire life. Let me disappear and you appear more and more in my life so that, with a holiness that is genuine, humble and true, I will always be an instrument for the salvation of all people. Amen.

Resolution: I will take a hard look at my life to identify the areas where duplicity manifests itself and take a concrete step toward living with more integrity.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

SA WAKAS! GOODBYE PIA RANADA! WALA NANG RAPPLER SA PRESS BRIEFING!

PNoy didn't prevent Spratly from being taken

Rappler reporter now banned from entering entire Malacañang compound, says exec

Published February 21, 2018 9:53pm By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News

Rappler reporter Pia Ranada is now barred from entering the entire Malacañang Complex not just the presidential palace, an official said on Wednesday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary for Media Relations Mia Reyes confirmed in a text message that Ranada could no longer the Malacañang compound starting Thursday.
Ranada also tweeted about the development.
The Malacañang Complex houses the presidential palace several office buildings, Malacañang Park, and Bahay Pagbabago, the official residence of President Rodrigo Duterte.
On Tuesday, presidential guards barred Ranada from entering the New Executive Building, where the press working area and the press briefing room are located.
She was later allowed to attend a news conference by presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. but prohibited from covering the President's speech at the palace before Indian businessmen.
Roque said Duterte had decided to bar Rappler from all presidential coverage.
The order came a day after the Senate summoned Duterte' top aide, Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go, to answer questions following a Rappler report claiming that he had intervened in the selection of the combat management system of the two frigates the Philippine Navy was buying.
Rappler has repeatedly earned the ire of Duterte and other Palace officials over the online news outfit's reports critical of the administration. —NB, GMA News
 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/644238/rappler-reporter-now-banned-from-entering-entire-malacanang-compound-says-exec/story/?utm_source=GMANews&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=news

Roque: Duterte felt ‘betrayed’ by Rappler reporter

By: - Reporter / @NCorralesINQ
 / 06:10 PM February 21, 2018

Harry Roque
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque (Photo by JOAN BONDOC / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

President Rodrigo Duterte said he felt “betrayed” by Rappler reporter Pia Ranada, whom he said he treated like his granddaughter, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte had issued an order to his officials not to allow Ranada to enter Malacañang and cover his events.

“Nag-isyu na ang Presidente ng order na hindi pupuwede si Pia [sa Malacañang],” Roque told reporters.

“Trinaydor siya ni Pia, dahil alam naman ng marami sa Malacañang Press Corps, itinuring niya na parang apo ni presidente. Pero para pagpilitan ang fake news, wala nang dahilan para siya’y manatili sa Malacañang kung puro fake news naman ang kanyang ibabalita,” he added.

[Pia betrayed him, considering that, as many members of the Malacañang Press Corps know, the president treated her like a granddaughter. But for insisting on putting out fake news, she has no more reason to stay in Malacañang, if it’s it all fake news that she insists on reporting.]

Only restriction is Malacañang coverage, access to Duterte

In another interview aired on Wednesday over AM radio dzMM, Roque said Duterte was pissed with Ranada.

“Lilinawin ko lang po: Bagama’t hindi na siya pupuwedeng mag-cover sa Malacañang, puwede siyang magsulat kahit anong gusto niyang isulat, kahit puro fake news iyan. Kung kaligayahan niya iyan, ituloy niya iyan. Kaya nga po walang paglalabag, walang pagsusupil sa kalayaan ng pamamahayag,” Roque said.

[Let me just make it clear: Though she would no longer be able to cover Malacañang, she can still write whatever she want want to right, even if it’s all fake news. If that makes her happy, she can keep on doing that. That’s why there’s no violation, no suppression of the freedom of the press.]

“Ang hindi lang siya pupuwede ay magkaroon ng access ngayon kay Presidente, dahil bwisit sa kanya ang Presidente,” he added.

[The only thing she can’t have is access to the President for now, because the President is annoyed with her.]

No curtailment of press freedom

In a statement, Roque said the ruling of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoking Rappler’s registration would be executory for now.

“This is to inform everyone that under the Rules of Court, judgments and final orders of quasi-judicial agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, are not stayed while on appeal with the Court of Appeals, unless the CA directs otherwise,” he said. “In Rappler’s case, no such directive from the CA has been issued.”

Roque said Malacañang had no intention to curtail the press freedom of Ranada.

“We did not implement the SEC decision at once,” he said. “We could have earlier disallowed Rappler’s Palace beat reporter, Pia Ranada, from entering Malacañang when the SEC decision was handed down if our intent is to infringe press freedom.”

“However, we allowed Miss Rañada to continue performing her work assignments unimpeded, notwithstanding that trust with the news source had already been adversely affected, in the hope that this would be restored,” he added.

Roque said the government had given “Rappler ample time to avail of legal remedies.”

“However, it became apparent that Rappler is more interested in spreading fake news, and as yesterday’s incident demonstrated, it would rather sensationalize the issue of non-entry in Malacanang rather than comply with the rules,” he said.

Roque insisted that barring Ranada from the Palace premises was not an attack on press freedom.

“Let us be clear: The case of Rappler is not an attack on press freedom. Members of the media, including the Philippine Daily Inquirer, continue to be hard-hitting yet they can cover the activities of the President. Ms. Ranada’s accreditation, which would give her access to Palace activities, lies on Rappler’s accreditation.”

Rañada may apply for accrediation through Focap

The Palace official suggested that, if Rappler would want to have direct coverage of events inside and outside Malacañang, it could apply for accreditation through the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap).

“Two things could have avoided Rappler’s present predicament: One, get a temporary restraining order. Two, be a Filipino corporation,” he said. “Unfortunately, Rappler failed to obtain a TRO and failed to show that it is a Filipino entity.”

He said the government had given “Rappler sufficient opportunity to rectify the infraction of ownership rules or obtain judicial relief, but instead of doing so it spent time and resources to foment false news and opted to twist the facts like it often does.”

“Peke na nga ang balita ng Rappler, peke pa rin ang pagiging Pilipino nila,” Roque added. “Ayusin muna nila ang dalawang bagay na ito bago sila sumigaw ng kalayaan sa pamamahayag.”

[Not only is Rappler’s news fake, its being Filipino is also fake. They should fix these two things before they start clamoring for press freedom.] /atm

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/970379/roque-duterte-felt-betrayed-by-rappler-reporter#ixzz57jijCglZ

February 22, 2018 - The Most Important Question


Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, apostle 
Father Alex Yeung, LC

Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you know how much I need you and depend on you for everything. You know my weakness and my faults. I put all my confidence in your love and mercy in my daily actions. I trust in your power, your promise and your grace.

Petition: Lord, let me acknowledge you with my words and actions.

1. Opinion Polls and Private Certitudes: People give all sorts of answers to the question of who Jesus is. No figure in history has provoked more comment or more debate than Jesus Christ. And it is fair to say that in every case, how we answer the question of who Christ is determines how we live our lives: the values and moral convictions we will have, the hope we have for the life to come, the charity and service we live now in our daily lives. All of this is inspired by the stance we take on the person of Jesus. “Who do you say that I am?” is a question that necessarily involves a commitment on our part. The answer to this question requires a change in our attitudes and behavior.

2. The Life-changing Moment: For Peter, this was a moment of true openness to the grace of the Holy Spirit. He grasped in a moment that Christ was no mere prophet or enlightened teacher of moral truths, but something much more. He was the Christ, that is, the Savior. And not only Messiah, he was the Son of the Living God—Jesus was equal to God in all things. This profession of faith would change Peter’s life from that moment on. In the Creed, we profess the same faith as Peter did. Every time we receive the Eucharist, we join our response to that of Peter: We believe you are the Son of God, and there is no salvation by any other name. What changes does this faith require of me? Can I continue to be the same as before?

3. A New Name and a New Mission: Peter’s profession of faith was no simple intellectual response to a question. It was the taking of a position, a definitive stance before God and before the world. Peter embraced the truth about Christ, and in return, Christ entrusted him with the care of the Church. He would be “Rock,” the foundation of his Church, and Christ offered him the guarantee that the Church would persevere forever. When we profess our faith, Christ gives us a task also. We are made “apostles” and sent out as “ambassadors of Christ” to the world. Our stance before this truth has consequences: We must be consistent with our faith each day.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, teach me not only to acknowledge you with my mind, but to embrace the truth that you are the Son of the Living God with all my life, words, and actions. Let the conviction I have become a way of life, so that I can give witness to you before all men.

Resolution: I will examine my life and evaluate what sort of witness I give to my faith that Christ is the Son of the Living God.