We're Creating a Monster

Every year, especially during Christmas season, the traffic gets worse, the malls are more packed, and we are driven by this unquenchable thirst for more purchases and items to buy.

photo courtesy of iremit.com.au

I see something sinister behind all this. Something is out of place.

I am aware that this season is traditionally the season to give gifts to our family, friends, co-workers, and just abut anyone. It is the season of giving - or at least it used to be. In our desire to give material gifts, are we spawning a monster feeding on our excessive consumerism?

For example, people were all up in arms when it was declared that prices of electricity will be going up. That meant that prices of basic goods are soon to follow up as well. You think that would deter people from going to the mall? Today, at the Mall of Asia, the crowd was so gargantuan you would think it was the feast of the Nazareno. What happened? I thought we were trying to save money because of the high prices of goods?

photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/Sanlakas14

Why were there so many people at the malls this season? It's like we're all zombies out there, with no other choice, no idea of what fun is outside of the mall. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB, my mentor from way back, has this to say about this mall culture:

Malls are now the only leveler in society. There is no exclusion, but inclusion. At malls no one knows if one lives in a shack, as everyone has smartphones, same dresses, and the same disheveled hair look. In the mall, everyone can more or less have the same thing, provided you pay, of course. No membership dues. No monthly consumables ... just plain and simple fun defined according to the rituals of the cathedrals of commerce.

Are we slowly veering away from the true spirit of Christmas and turning towards a consumerist, politically-correct, no-nonsense, "happy holidays" kind of season?

I have experienced the mad rush of Christmas shopping before. Several years back, it was different. It felt different. Back then, there was a spirit of rushing, a tone of necessity with the shopping. People want to get their shopping done so they could get back to the family ASAP and spend more time with them. The past few years, however, I have this feeling I cannot quite put my finger on. It's like we are slowly turning into mindless robots. Or animals. Animals driven by instinct to shop for more and more each year.

My feelings tell me that the more we participate in this consumerist culture, the more we miss out on Christmas itself; ironically, in our quest to buy more gifts, we are slowly forgetting that Christ's incarnation is one of the greatest gifts mankind has ever received.

I will not be surprised if we become like this a few years from now:

We Pinoys are proud that we have the happiest celebration of Christmas in all the world. That is going to change if we continue to feed this monster of consumerism. Call it cliche, but Christ really is the reason for the season, and the more we mindlessly buy things that will not make us happy, the more we are led away from the one true source of happiness itself.

Christmas IS Pro-Life

Many of us are aware of the Christmas story, which starts from the annunciation of the archangel Gabriel to Mary, the mother of Jesus. After some reflection, I found out that this Christmas story, which was told to us time and again when we were little children, and the very same Christmas story which I hope we are passing on to our children, and their children’s children – I found out that this story holds not one but several pro-life pointers for all of us to think about. Christmas is indeed pro-life. 

1. There is no room for Christ for those whose lives are full of worldly things. Have you ever heard of people saying something like, “I don’t want a baby because it gets in the way of the job I want.” Or something to that effect?

This is the queue to the gift-wrapping section. Every Christmas season. Every single year. 

Mary’s fiat – let it be done unto me as you say! – required a heart that was full of God’s grace, and less of our own selfish motives, and much less of this world’s empty promises of wealth, fame, and possessions. When Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, it wasn’t that they didn’t find any place to stay. There were lots of places to stay, but not one person who was willing to open their doors for them. Eventually, they found someone who was willing to lend his own manger, a little act of generosity that went a long, long way for Joseph and Mary and Jesus, the infant.

2. Help, even as you need help yourself. 99% of us pro-lifers are people in need of some sort of assistance – financial, emotional, professional, etc .Mary went out of her way to help her cousin, Elizabeth, who was six months into her pregnancy, even as she was pregnant of her own child as well. God rewards those who make great effort to reach out to other people despite their own circumstances. For some of them, however, helping others and making a difference in their lives is a reward by itself.

So don't forget to send me some gifts! :) just kidding

3. Heart of Gold, Will of Steel. Mary must have had the courage of a thousand men to allow herself to be the mother of Christ. She could imagine how her future husband would reject her and break up with her. She could imagine the backlash of her society with her being pregnant without having a husband – a sin punishable by stoning to death. But she went through with it, having total faith and confidence in the providence and ways of God.

Nowadays, being a pro-lifer means being very unpopular, going against the whims and caprices of this anti-life society. Argentinian feminists burned an effigy of Pope Francis, who stood firm on his pro-life, anti-abortion stand. If they could do that to the pope, imagine what the world can do to us, ordinary pro-lifers. The pro-life advocacy ain’t for the soft-spoken and for the mild-mannered. The advocacy requires all of us brandish wills of steel.

In Argentina, these men barricaded themselves in front of a Cathedral that these angry feminists
targeted to vandalize, following Pope Francis' statement against abortion. These men are awesome! 

4. Pro-life, Pro-poor. A lot of skeptics ask us: Why don’t you ask your God why are there rich people who have more than enough wealth to last until their grandchildren’s children, and why are there poor people who don’t even have enough to buy their own meal? If I were God, however, I would ask mankind the same thing. I gave you all the material blessings you will ever need. Why be greedy about it to the point that you have more and others have less?

Even the infant Jesus did not escape this poverty. He was born in a manger, in a place more suited for animals than human beings. This is God’s way of reminding us of two things:

a. Our priority in our advocacy should be to  promote the culture of life, family, and marriage especially to the poor, who are the main targets of the anti-life movement. The RH law was intended especially for the poor to have access to contraceptives. Ironically, they struggle to have access to a lot of things, like food, clean water, shelter, education, and jobs, and here comes the government telling them that these contraceptives provided to them ‘empower’ them, especially their women. What a twisted, confused world we live in!

b. Christ tells us that there is dignity in being alive. Period. Dignity is afforded to both the rich and the poor, no matter how the former tries to rob the latter of it. There are two groups of rich people: the ones who make a system that will make them rich people richer, and the poor poorer; the other group of rich people are being paid by the first group to sustain this corrupt system. An example of this is the RH law, which purportedly was passed to address the needs of women and the poor, but in reality pays lip service to them by failing to address the real root of their problems.

On the other hand, there are groups of people on the opposite end of the pendulum who think that wealth is all the poor needs. I had this discussion with an atheist a few weeks ago, and he said that the Vatican should sell its riches and give it to the poor; moreover, the Church should stop collecting from the poor during masses. I told him of personal encounters I had with the poor, who, despite their poverty, have no qualms giving much of the little they have for the Church. I told this atheist that it would be insulting for these poor folk to tell them not to give to the Church.

Makes sense, right? 

Part of our work as pro-lifers is to uphold the dignity that the poor have in themselves, and to fight the corrupt systems that deny the poor of their rights.

5. Wisdom that comes from Christ’s Light – The Three Wise Men are some of the most mysterious characters in the Bible. We do not know where they came from, we do not know whether they knew each other prior to their journey towards the infant Christ, we do not know how they came to know about his birth. We do not even know why they were called wise men, but this we do know: they tried to follow that bright star that lead them to the infant Christ, the light that came from God Himself, and by this they deserve to be called wise.

This is the same light that made them aware of King Herod’s ulterior motive of finding baby Jesus and having him killed, and the same light that prompted them to go back to their homeland through a different way. Our encounter with Christ should lead us towards a similar change of heart. We should turn our backs against evil and wrongdoing and turn towards the Light of Christ.This is perhaps the best gift we can give to God this Christmas – that  our lives may be shining lights that all point towards Christ.

Merry Christmas to you, your family, and to the people you love. 

Gays and Lesbians are People, First and Foremost

Yes, you read it right.

I am not against any person, regardless if he is straight or gay. Or whatever.

I have friends who are effeminate, and some who are gay. Christ tells me to love everyone, so I love them all, including the gay ones.

Love, however, rejoices in the truth, as St. Paul says. So as I love these friends of mine, I have to offer them the truth: homosexual sex is a grave sin. I love the sinner but despise the sin.

So let me make it clear that I am not against gay people. I am just against homosexual sex and same-sex marriage.

With that out of the way, I would also like to say that the LGBT agenda - the movement to normalize and to accept non-homosexual relations - has taken root even here in our relatively conservative country. And this is a very aggressive agenda. It is right under our noses and yet beyond the sights of most people except the most discerning. The shadow of the agenda looms over the horizon, and if we are not careful, we will see the downward spiral of society's morality and our capability to judge what is wrong and what is right.

For decades, we have been slowly brainwashed to accept homosexual relations. From the media to the news to legislation - the LGBT agenda is systematic well calculated. For instance - haven't you noticed that almost all our Pinoy-made movies and TV shows feature a gay or lesbian person? While people might say that these shows only show what is our current reality, we also have to realize that casting a gay character or two  in almost every show we watch is a subtle way of promoting the agenda.

Ladies, would you use this restroom? 

Today, the Philippine Daily Inquirer posted this:

3 gay students make difference in Zamboanga City standoff

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Momar Javier already accepted his fate that he was “going to die” while being held hostage by Moro National Liberation Front MNLF) forces in Zamboanga City in early September.

“But we needed to do something,” said Javier, 20, a student of Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST).

Javier is one of three young gay men who came out with their best during the worst of times.

Together with Peter Jupiter Galvez and Ram Mahusay, Javier provided food, water and laughter for the other hostages held by the MNLF forces for more than three weeks.

The MNLF forces entered the city, claiming they were instructed to march and hold a rally in front of City Hall where they will declare the independence of the Bangsamoro Republic. Their presence caused panic among residents and armed response from police and government soldiers, leading to a three-week standoff.

Fr. Michael Ufana, the parish priest of Saint Joseph Church, said the gay youngsters took care of his 70-year-old father Isidoro.

“At the height of captivity, these gay students offered comfort to my family. They gave their papag (bed) to my father and sister. They slept on the cold, dirty floor,” Ufana told the Inquirer.

Isidoro said Javier carried the priest whenever the hostages were moved from house to house during the fighting. “I carried him on my back because he could no longer walk,” Javier said in Filipino.

Galvez, 20, was the hostages’ “water girl.” His main responsibility was to provide water for cooking, drinking and for the MNLF men’s morning coffee.

The full story can be read here. 

I have to say that I admire them for their bravery and their heroism. Not too many people have that kind of courage and selflessness that these young ones have manifested. 

But wait a minute. 

Why does the writer of this article have to emphasize that the three are gay? 

Why does the writer refer to Galvez as "water girl"? 

I smell a spin here. 

Momar Javier, Peter Galvez, and Ram Mahusay are people. Gays and lesbians are people, first and foremost. Their heroism came from their capacity for courage and love, not from their sexual preference. Mentioning that they are gays is irrelevant, unless the writer wanted to make a point (or if the three specifically asked the writer to mention them as gays). Shall every other writer from now on write like this? 

 "Heterosexual Police Shoots Down Martilyo Gang Member"

"2 Gays Dead in Deadly Collision at EDSA"

"Palace Honors 30 Heterosexual and 10 Homosexual Athletes"

See how stupid it sounds?

Is this another spin to promote the LGBT agenda? I would say yes. Do correct me if I am wrong, but the word GAY is only used in a headline or in an article if the person referred to by that article is indeed gay AND is somehow connected to the promotion of gay rights. 

Let's commend these young men for their heroic deeds. The past few weeks we have had nothing but mostly bad news, and their heroism is a welcome respite from all the news about murders and accidents and tragedies and politics. However, we as Catholics and God-fearing Christians have to make a firm stand against the LGBT agenda that seeks to skew our children's view on homosexual relationships and unions. 

Yes, the Boy Scouts of America are now allowing Gay boys. 

My heart goes out to all of those who carry the cross of same-sex attraction. May the Gospel and the teachings of the Church fill you not with despair but with hope and charity, and may you always offer your sufferings up to Christ, who bore the weight of our sins and suffered at the hands of men too. 

Is Religion the Leading Cause of War?

I was participating in a discussion on a friend's thread about our social ills as a people. We don't follow traffic rules. Heck, we don't follow rules, period. We tend to pull each other down, instead of helping each other up. We scam our own kababayans  and take advantage of people. Et cetera, et cetera. My friend was claiming that we owe it to our Christian faith to do better as a nation - to which I agreed, although I was quick to point out that the Church is a bastion of sinners, too. We're all works in progress, so to speak.

Let me point out that I also accept the fact that being Catholic means being perfected as the Father is perfect.

Anyway, there was this self-proclaimed atheist who replied -

This guy was insinuating that Ephesians 6:5 meant that Christianity endorsed slavery, while the real context was that St. Paul was trying to tell the slaves of that time (slavery was practiced in the Roman Empire, remember your history!) to love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so to speak. Nothing different from what Christ has taught. So I said this, and he replied:

What the ________ did I just read there?

Did he seriously say that the writers of the Bible were 'prehistoric writers'?

First, a quick look at the dictionary:

pre·his·to·ry  (pr-hst-r)

n. pl. pre·his·to·ries

1. History of humankind in the period before recorded history.

Woah! Let's take a look at what Wiki has to say.

Prehistory

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For a timeline of events in the early history of the universe and prehistoric Earth, see Timeline of prehistory.

t e

Prehistory (meaning "before history", or "before knowledge acquired by investigation", from the Latin word for "before," præ, and historia) is the span of time before recorded history or the invention of writing systems.  

Prehistory therefore means that time before there was any writing system involved. Therefore, a prehistoric writer is an oxymoron. Laugh trip!

 Anyway, he continued his tirades against religion.

These are common arguments that we Catholics should know how to debunk very easily. In my case, whenever I see a good article that proves a point or would make a good defense on the faith, I bookmark it. I happen to have bookmarked a comprehensive article debunking his claim that people kill because of religion, but first -

Having said my piece, I gave him these: 

 I left the thread a few more comments after I cited my source:

If you want to see that book, just go here. 

Take note that I post this for posterity, and not to make fun of any atheist out there, as I even charitably blotted out his name and picture. I posted this to encourage everyone to learn more about their faith. God bless us all.

5 of the Most Unintelligent Things To Say in Social Media

I have been glued to social media, Facebook in particular, ever since I had an account about four years ago, partly because I use it to promote our pro-life advocacy as well as to preach the Gospel. The other reason is because like everyone else, Facebook, and social media as a whole, has inevitably become part of our daily routine. Ask the gal on the beach taking a picture of her sandy toes and posting in on Instagram. Or the guy who took a selfie on top of the mountain he had just conquered. Social media has become a totally new world in itself, a world dominated by vanity - and sometimes outright stupidity.

I have been part of countless online discussions and debates since I joined Facebook, and I have compiled a list of the most boneheaded comments and posts I have ever read. Take note that a lot of people adhere to these beliefs without really trying to understand what they really meant.

1.  "Don't be so judgmental!"

Most popular usage: 

• Defending Chito Miranda against his naysayers when his sex scandal broke out. e.g. "Bakit, perpekto ba kayo? Huwag nga kayong mapanghusga!"
• Trying to exonerate Anne Curtis who was said to be so intoxicated (some say she was high), she drunk-slapped the heck out of John Lloyd Cruz and his friends, and creating a scene in a bar. e.g. "Tao lang naman si Anne, nagkakamali, buti nga inamin niya, don't be so judgmental!"
• Trying hard to make Noynoy Aquino look like a saint, and that he was beyond fault during his mismanagement of the Yolanda tragedy. e.g. "Kung makahusga ka 'kala mo ang dali-daling maging presidente. Tutal ikaw henyo ka, ikaw na kaya maging presidente?" (followed by SHATTAP TUMULONG KA NA LANG!) 

This should be self-explanatory. Pointing out someone's mistake isn't the same as being judgmental. In fact, the one who cries "don't be so judgmental!" is the one guilty of being judgmental. 

2. "You're so narrow-minded/be open-minded!" 

Most popular usage: Somebody has the audacity to post something bordering on the pornographic on Facebook, and concerned users comment that it is inappropriate and should be taken down... expect some to reply:

• "Napakakitid naman ng utak mo. Buksan mo nga nang maintindihan mo na art ito."
• "Sus, konting open mindedness naman tol, 21st century na tayo."

What they're actually saying is that we should stop being such buzz killers and "just enjoy the damn video". It has nothing to do with being open-minded. In fact, by saying that we're such prudes and that we should be open-minded, they're being narrow-minded themselves - AND judgmental too. 

3. "You (insert race/nationality/religious affiliation) should be more tolerant!"

Most popular usage: People trying to make you accept a lifestyle or ideology that your faith/religion/values system has taught you not to accept. 

• "Catholics are the most intolerant people I know. Disgusting!"
• "I don't know of a more intolerant religion than the Catholic Church. Shame on you for going against gay marriage. Love is a right."

First of all, when you tolerate something, it actually means you don't like it, but you put up with it. For example, I don't like it when kids are too noisy, but I tolerate it since I have to let kids be kids. I love a clean house but tolerate some dust and dirt when my flatmates don't do their share of the chores.

Their meaning of tolerance borders more on acceptance, because these guys don't let you object to what they propose, to begin with! And when you post your objection, they tell you that you're a...

4. "Hater!  Bigot! You're so homophobic!"

Most common usage: Usually mentioned after number 3, in discussions about the LGBT agenda. 

When people disagree with the homosexual lifestyle, that doesn't make them homophobic. Disagreeing is not fear. 

Two years ago, Lito David of Ang Kapatiran and I went to UPLB to debate Carlos Celdran and Bishop Efraim Tendero about the RH bill. During his explanation, Lito pointed out a verifiable scientific fact: that the highest incidence of HIV belong to the MSM - men having sex with men. Carlos did not take this well, flew off the handle, and said (not verbatim)

"You are the most homophobic person I have ever encountered!" 

I really don't know why Carlos said that, since Lito was only pointing out the truth. A lot of people react that way too. Give them the truth, and you become a hater. In fact, as someone pointed out, the truth has now become the new hate speech. 

Other people may say it differently, but they mean almost the same: 

• "Enough with the bigotry. You're so hopelessly homophobic."
• "The reason why I left the Church was that Jesus taught us to love, not to hate, and that means loving homosexuals."

The last comment is just full of turd and confusion. Yes, Jesus taught us to love, and yes we must love the person, and hate the sin. Hating the sin and loving the person, however, actually means you have to call that person's attention out when it comes to sin. Some people tend to compound issues by combining number 1 and number 4 : Don't be so full of hate, you judgmental piece of crap. 

5. "There is no objective truth/morality."

Most common usage:  Used by atheists and non-believers who make so much fuss trying to disprove the existence of the God they don't believe in. 

They use this to explain that Christian morality isn't THE ultimate morality that everyone should follow. In fact, they would argue that the truth is different for everyone, depending on how one sees the truth. 

This is the easiest to debunk, actually. Next time you hear someone saying that there is no absolute truth, the most succinct way of shutting him up would be to ask: is that true? 

A Debate Between Quirky Catholic and A Population Control Fanatic

First of all, let me set the record straight: this is more of a discussion rather than an all-out slug fest, and I would not call this a proper debate. However, I think you would like to know one thing about population control pushers, like the one I had a discussion with. They claim to use science and reason to push their agenda, but when it comes down to it... I will let you decide.

Just a brief background. I was tagged in a thread in a certain page. Lo and behold, I see our old friend, Antiqueno Pinoy, peddling his wares again, so to speak. He and I, along with several of my companions, have been debating him since 2010 during the early days of the I Oppose the RH bill page. I sort of lost track of him after the bill passed late last year, and I was a bit surprised to see him on another page. He is a rabid population control believer, and he insists that unless our country goes down to a TFR (total fertility rate) of 1.0, then this country is doomed. In essence, he wants to copy China's one-child policy, even as China has already turned its back on it. The reversal may have come too late, as you guys can read here, but let's save that for another day. Without further ado, I present to you Mr. Population Control Fanatic.

Knowing Mr. Population Control Fanatic all too well, exchanging facts, numbers, statistics, and studies with him in an effort to prove his Malthusian ideas wrong is as futile as Sisyphus rolling up his fabled boulder up the hill. It's like dousing water to Greek Fire - he will not accept any logical or scientific proof that will debunk his population control philosophy. So I took a different route, as you can read above and below. 

Hah! He refuses to answer such an easy question: do you have kids of your own, Mr. Antiqueno? He might as well tie a millstone to his neck and drop to the bottom of the sea if he were to follow my line of arguing, and so he deflects it and refuses to answer my simple question.

See how he tried to duck and weave by saying that my question was 'personal and emotional'. Following his statement of "high fertility(too many babies) causes poverty, the logical conclusion would be that his kids caused poverty too. If he didn't have any, he might as well just have none, lest he and his siring of children exacerbate the poverty we have here in the country.

For the record: Yes, his statement - high fertility rate is the major cause of poverty in the Philippines - is wrong. Many countries have already felt the effects of having too few babies born that would have been the future manpower and labor force of their nation. They have mitigated this by asking for immigrants, like us, to work and live there in their country. Countries like Japan, Singapore, China, Russia, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, and Spain have TFRs below 2.1 - meaning that their ladies are having less than 2 kids. Demographically speaking, countries whose TFRs are below the so-called "replacement rate" of 2.1 are the countries having trouble with too many elderly people and too few young people. In Japan, for example, sales of adult diapers are way higher than that of baby diapers.

This kind of mentality - that too many people cause poverty - is a theory developed by Thomas Malthus in the 19th century, and has been long debunked by Simon Kuznets, a Russian-American economist, statistician, demographer, and economic historian who won the 1971 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for his empirically founded interpretation of economic growth which has led to new and deepened insight into the economic and social structure and process of development". Here in Asia, scientists Wong Hock Tsen and Fumitaka Furuoka made a study called: The Relationship between Population and Economic Growth in Asian Economies. Their studies concluded that overall, there was no relationship between economics and population growth - debunking what Antiqueno Pinoy said above that very high fertility causes poverty; however, they also concluded that for some countries, namely: Singapore, China, and The Philippines, population growth actually causes economic growth, debunking Antiqueno a second time. 

It is one thing to debunk Antiqueno's claims; however, too many people, many of them RH supporters, still believe in the antiquated and long-debunked Malthusian idea of too many people causing poverty. In fact, this is also the belief of so many ecologists - that too many people cause the destruction of nature, ergo we should diminish the population for the sake of the trees, the animals, the rivers, and the forests. Bullsh*t! That's why I don't adhere to animal groups like PETA either. They place animals' rights before human rights. You don't see too many of animal rights groups fighting abortion and contraception, right? 

In the end, the debate was not meant to be. I was tired of arguing stats and demography with him, and he wouldn't answer my question either. But, I learned something very valuable with my exchange with him. When it all comes down to it, when we're dealing with flesh and blood, science can only prove so much. Beyond the numbers, beyond the statistics, beyond the ideologies, there are people like you and me, happy and grateful to be alive. Who among us, then, have caused poverty in the country? We're working, we're paying taxes, we're contributing to a better nation, and so will our children. 

My life is a gift from God. We are all God's gifts to one another. This way we enrich the world with our lives. This is my belief. This is why I cannot accept Mr. Antiqueno's belief that people cause poverty and misery, precisely because people are also the way out of it. 

SHATTAP! TUMULONG KA NA LANG!

Imagine:

1. Sinisi ni Pnoy ang Tacloban dahil hindi daw sila prepared, eh expected niya zero casualties - realistic ba yun???

2. Nag-walk out si Pnoy sa isang Cabinet meeting sa Tacloban;

3. Pabalang niyang sinagot 'yung businessman na nag-sabing tinutukan siya ng baril. "But you did not die, right?" ang mala-pantas na sagot ng presidente.

4. Balita ng foreign media na halos walang presensya ng gobyerno sa Tacloban at iba pang nasalantang lugar. Kaya ang mga biktima, katulad ng gobyerno: nganga. 

So sa galit mo, nag-post ka ng kritisimo sa Facebook. Makikita mo na lang sa wall feed mo, o kung maswerte ka ay magko-comment sa status mo ay ganito: 

"Stop pointing fingers!"

"Stop being so negative!"

"Bakit, may ginawa ka ba?"

"Focus muna tayo sa pag-tulong!"

and my personal favorite -

 

 Hindi ko alam kung bakit allergic sila sa criticism, pero kung medyo nahu-hurt sila, sa akin lang: ang daming nagugutom at namamatay sa Samar at Leyte, pero ang gusto ng iba, puro positive thoughts at good vibes. Walang kokontra!

Criticism, if based on the truth, can help. Besides, the suffering people in Samar and Leyte have no voice except us. How can you expect us to be quiet if there are people dying in the Visayas and the government is nowhere to be found???

Journey of A Thousand Miles: We've Only Just Vigan

Back in August, Filipinos for Life Speakers and Trainers were invited by the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia in Vigan to do a series of talks for their youth. Last Saturday, F4L members Rommel Lopez, Anna Cosio, and Juan Carlo Vitasa, and I went on the long trip to Vigan to respond to the call of evangelizing the young through the Gospel of Life. This is an account of the work we did in several schools spanning three days.

Day 1: The Arrival

On our way to the Great Vigan Adventure. 10 PM, Maria de Leon Bus Terminal, November 2.

We arrived in Candon City, Ilocos Sur around 4 AM, way earlier than we were expected to arrive by our host, Fr. Willie Jones Ducusin. Fr. Ducusin is also the superintendent of the Nueva Segovia Association of Catholic Schools. It was a good thing that Candon has a 24-hour McDonald’s restaurant where we waited for Fr. Willie. He promptly arrived before 5 AM, and escorted us to the rectory of the St. John de Sahagun Parish Church where we freshened up, had breakfast, and heard mass.

Rommel and I posing in front of St. John de Sahagun parish

This was at the Sta. Maria Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on top of a hill

At Sta Maria Church

White-sand beach along the road going to Vigan, our destination. 

Mountains and hills everywhere you look! 

Another beach! But this time it's a rocky one, quite unsuitable for bathing.

This is the Arzobispado of Vigan where we were stationed for a couple of days. Looks really old, because it is! 

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the sights and heritage spots of Ilocos Sur. Highlights of the day were our visit to Sta. Maria Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a church built atop a hill much like forts of medieval times; the zoo owned by former governor Chavit Singson called “Balwarte”. We had an idea of how rich Chavit Singson was through Balwarte, as the money involved to procure the animals and maintain the zoo itself costs an unimaginable amount of money.

praying before the tomb of Bishop Verzosa, grand father of Sr. Pilar. 

The inside of the Arzobispado. I miss all that wood. 

At Chavit's Balwarte

Trying out Vigan's yummy Empanada! 

another view of the Arzobispado from the inside.

Me during the Animal Show at the Balwarte

I wonder how much money does it cost to maintain this place. 

This poor fellow must be terrified because he thinks I am going to ride his calesa! 

Look Ma! I made a new friend! What do you mean he's an ostrich?! 

Rommel was enjoying Balwarte until he realized Chavit had enough money for dinosaurs too. 

Fr. Willie saved the best for last and drove us to an eatery for a taste of the famous Vigan Empanada. It rained in the evening, which meant that we were not able to visit the renowned Crisologo street of Vigan. That had to wait until the next evening.

Day 2:  Vigan to Sto. Domingo, and Vigan to Narvacan

 We woke up at 5 to make it to the 6 AM mass presided by Fr. Willie. We had breakfast afterwards and went on a short drive to Sto.  Domingo, around 8 kms away, to Benigno Soliven Academy, where more than 300 students were waiting for us. Mr. Lopez talked about the sanctity of life, and how life is both a gift to be cherished and a treasure to be nurtured so that eventually we can share this gift to others through the talents we develop. These talents, in turn, will give us an indication of what career to pursue after college. One student revealed to the whole crowd that she wanted to pursue her studies in college in Baguio, but she was being pressured by her friends to stay behind so they can always be together. Mr. Lopez told her and the all the students that true friendship transcends distance, so you will always be friends where ever you go; and that true friendship means you and your friends are free to pursue whatever will make you happy and fulfilled, including pursuing your dreams – even if it meant that you might spend less time with one another.

Ms. Anna Cosio expounded on the idea that our lives are suppose to be selfless and self-giving, giving our young ones especially on the matter of chastity and purity. She also emphasized the importance of dressing appropriately, being a gentleman and a lady, and  the benefits of living a chaste life.

At Benigno Soliven Academy

Juan Carlo sharing his thoughts on a question posed by a student

Ate Anna bakit ang ganda-ganda mo? 

posing with the 3rd and 4th year students of BSA

We went back to Vigan after lunch, but promptly took the 31km trip to Narvacan Catholic School run by the Reparatrix Sisters. After the discussions, we were met by a most curious question from one of the students: Bakit masarap ang bawal? (why does it always feel good to do the bad thing, roughly translated )

Ms. Cosio’s answer was nothing short of brilliant: that it is a mistake to think that all the good things in this life can only be achieved though doing what is bad or evil. In fact, that was the original spiel of the devil during the temptation of Adam and Eve: that doing something against God is not only good, but also beneficial. Anna explained further that there are consequences in doing good and in doing evil, and that usually it is the consequences of doing evil that isn’t being advertised openly, e.g. if you eat too much, you get sick. Have sex with a lot of partners and you get STD.

At Narvacan Catholic School

"Bakit masarap ang bawal?" 

after our talk at Narvacan Catholic School

As we drove home to our base in the Arzobispado of Vigan that afternoon, we saw this great sign:

Where can I run from your love?
If I climb to the heavens you are there
If I fly to the sunrise, or sail beyond the sea
still I find you there...

Was it a sign of approval from God of what we were doing? I have personally been through a lot of problems, and after being so overwhelmed with what I saw I realized that God was telling me that no matter what I went through, He was always there for me. For all of us.

Back in Vigan, we enjoyed good weather, which allowed us to visit the famous Crisologo Street, the UNESCO World heritage site. It was a street straight out of the Spanish times where (almost) every house was preserved in its beautiful antiquity. Even the road made of stone is preserved. At night, the magic begins as you are transported back in time as the calesas transport people and the lamp posts illumine the streets with romance and melancholy. We strolled around, took pictures, went for a calesa ride, and had beer and pizza in a restaurant along Crisologo street as a nightcap.

The beautiful Anna and the beautiful Dancing Fountain

Seems like my kind of place. 

another shot of the dancing fountain

Juan Carlo @ Crisologo Street

Speak the Truth! Vigan Edition

Very captivating fountain.

The allure of Crisologo Street in Vigan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Beautiful people in a beautiful place

And they don't call it Heritage City for nothing! 

Day 3: Vigan to Sta. Lucia, Sta.Lucia to Sta. Cruz

We had to wake up even earlier in order to make it on time to our talks in Sta. Lucia, 68 kms away from Vigan, then from Sta. Lucia we went to Sta. Cruz, 12 kms away. The church in Sta. Cruz was almost filled with students, with an estimated 600 youngsters. Ilocano students tend to be more reserved and shy than their counterparts in the big cities of Manila; however, what struck us was that the schools were spick and span, way cleaner even with our standards here. Perhaps cleanliness is a common Ilocano trait. It is a trait that everyone should imbibe. We also realized that the Ilocano youth behave in a more dignified manner than the ones here in Manila. They laugh if there is something funny, they cheer on for their companion if necessary, but there is hardly any hooting or boisterous behavior on their part.

Speaking in a packed church. God bless us all! 

Funny how these kids are so bashful.

My talk to these young ones was about their lives as their journey. I myself made mistakes before, as I admitted to the kids, and it was during those times that I felt so lost, without any compass guiding me. I spent three years living in sin, not going to mass nor even praying during those times. In my journey back to God, however, I realized that it was God who made the first step to come back to me and look for me. Then I told the students about the rainbow we saw yesterday. That rainbow, I said, was God’s way of telling me – and telling the youth – that whatever comes our way in life, with God’s strength we will be able to weather any storm and endure any hardship.

It was an uncomfortable trip that afternoon going to Cervantes, a sleepy little town up there in the Cordilleras  (elevation around 1,500 feet) with a population of no more than 20,000 people. The drive was a long trip where the road kept twisting and winding, lasting for close to three hours. It was like a trip from Manila to Quezon Province, except that the road was steep at times and turned left, right, and sometimes turned U every 6 seconds.

We arrived that evening at St. Agnes School and were greeted by the community of nuns that run the school. During dinner, the nuns told us how excited the students and the teachers were when they learned that we were coming, but the grade 7 and 8 students were quite disappointed because the talk was only for the senior high school students. Mark 6:34 came to mind: “And Jesus going out saw a great multitude: and he had compassion on them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.”

I decided for the group that we were going to have to go home a little bit later than usual to accommodate the lower grades. We hit the sack early due to exhaustion, and the cool Tagaytay-like weather was the perfect lullaby as we gave way to sleep.

Day 4: Cervantes

The students in St. Agnes may be more isolated than the other students in Nueva Segovia, but they sure are the most jovial students so far. We were met by warm smiles and greetings by the students we encountered, and the small ones must have mistaken me for a priest. They kept greeting me “good morning father!” and making mano.

A captivated audience hangs on to our every word! 

I have absolutely no idea what that sign said. 

One does not simply go to Ilocos Sur and not fall in love with the place! 

A student from St. Agnes asks Anna a question

Anna interrogating a student. 

One of the students from the senior batch asked if those who engaged in same-sex marriage did feel true love for their beloved. Since I opened the talks with the topic of our person-hood as a gift from God, and that we should all share this gift to the world – I told him that marriage is very much an exchange of gifts – the man gives his masculinity to the marriage, and the woman brings her feminine side. The complementary gifts allows God to give them another gift: a child that is supposed to be a gift to the whole world too, enriching all of us in the process. What happens in same-sex unions is that the person receives a gift he or she already has: a man receives masculinity, a woman receives femininity. Not only does the gift seem useless (ever received too many mugs for Christmas?) but the purpose of the giving of the gifts is lost too – as this union will never bring forth another gift, biologically speaking.

During lunch, the nuns told us that they found something peculiar – that we treated one another like brothers and sisters.I told them that we really treat each other as such in F4L.

The whole community was so profuse in their gratitude that they made us bring along a whole box of vegetables they had grown – Baguio Beans, potatoes, and cabbages. Enough to make me put up my own stall at the local market here and sell them in the morning and still have enough to cook for lunch and dinner. As we went down the mountain, we saw for ourselves the breath-taking view of the Cordillera mountains in Ilocos Sur, leaving me awestruck for the nth time in 4 days.

Fr. Willie, Anna, and I pose at Bessang Pass on the road going to Tagudin from Cervantes.

My God and my all, how I long to love you...

Posing at another spot. Believe it or not behind us was a drop of hundreds of feet. 

Jumping for joy! 

Juan Carlo poses for the record! 

See the long and winding road behind us??? That's almost 3 hours of twisting and turning! 

We had dinner at a local parish in Tagudin, south of Candon, and after that we caught a bus going to back to Manila. Before we left, I told Fr. Willie that it was a pleasure serving God and his people here in the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. I also told him that we will definitely come back.

We arrived at the terminal in Pasay around 4 AM. I went straight to the Pro-Life office to work as I was worried that if I went home I couldn’t muster the strength to get up and go to work. I was tired, exhausted, but at the same time my spirit was refreshed. Building the Kingdom of God here on Earth seems to be an impossible task, but it’s worth the try.