All these years, I never really appreciated Father’s Day for the simple reason that I thought it didn’t apply to me for the longest time until about nine months ago when I finally had a son myself. I never thought of the folly of it until I came about a quotation from Clarence Kelland that says, […]
My descent from the back of a carabao Water buffalo – rice paddies – sugar cane plantation – scythe – farm bolo or machete – unleashed dogs – kerosene lamp – farmers planting or harvesting – chicken and swine roaming freely. These are some of the many images pictured vividly in my humble beginning. Images […]
It’s both a great honor and a humbling experience to represent Filii North America. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, we have raised $2,390 for some of our brothers in the Philippines. We’ve learned that about 12 have benefited from our generosity. The recipients were the most adversely affected by COVID-19. Fray Mike Plana shared with us […]
In my line of work, one important aspect of continuous improvement is outlining lessons learned. This serves a variety of purposes: it streamlines operations by knowing what works, what doesn’t and the probability of each of them happening; it serves as a template for other projects to avoid certain pitfalls by mining a treasure-trove of […]
What have I been busy about during this quarantine? Besides minding my daily religious observances, I’ve been reading critically the draft of an undergraduate thesis submitted to my advisorship. The thesis delves into the role of humor in establishing a peaceful community. That the faculty-leadership approved me for this particular function is to my speculation […]
When I became aware of my existence; When I felt inexpressible joy being with friends; When I first marveled at the beauty of creation… When I took the first step in the journey of life; When I met stumbling blocks on a thorny path; When I became indecisive which way to go… When I was […]
Gospel Reflections by Fr. Enrico Gonzales, O.P. Does the Ascension of Jesus prove that heaven is somewhere above the clouds? Let’s look at this mystery, not as a GPS which will help us locate God’s abode somewhere up there. Let’s view it in relation to the mystery we’re celebrating this Sunday: The Pentecost — The […]
HOMILY: 13TH Sunday in Ordinary Time There was once a pig and a hen who became very close friends because they lived in the same barn. They heard that there was going to be a feeding program for the poor in their parish. After thinking about it, the hen suggested to the pig: “Why don’t we […]
Where were you on March 16, 2020? This date is very significant to many of us since this was the start when most corporate offices had advised employees to work from home and non-essential travels were banned. In my entire professional career for 35 years now, I never have imagined working in an “isolation”, i.e. […]
Isang paggunita ng nakaraan Napakahilig kong magdamo. Ito’y aking nagisnan at napagtanto noong ako ay isang nobisyo sa Iloilo. Subalit, bago n’yo po akong husgahan nang di kanaisnais, maaari po bang basahin nyo muna ang aking paggunita sa nakaraan at sa aking munting pagninilay-nilay. Lumaki ako sa gitna ng siksikang siyudad. Kahit ang kalye namin […]
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates Fortunately or not, we’ve developed our eating habits during our childhood years. Here in the United States, a country of immigrants from diverse regions of the world, people have varied eating habits. So in every State, one can find restaurants reflecting this great […]
“I do believe in an everyday sort of magic –the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we’re alone.” ~Charles de Lint On the revival of Epistoliorum, there is one word that comes foremost […]
I have been asked to share with you today some ideas on the topic of Leadership in Rotary. The interest in this particular topic seems to be inexhaustible among Rotarians. From the time we are admitted as members of Rotary, we are constantly reminded that one of the reasons we were invited to join this […]
Catherine of Siena and the Covid-19 Pandemic Some thinkers like Slavoj Zizek, in his most recent book, aptly entitled the Pandemic! COVID 19 Shakes The World, compared our present lot to a post-apocalyptic scenario in a doomsday movie. However, some of us are not fortunate enough to be just mere watchers, some of us are […]
There are many catchwords that this pandemic has given birth to, which in turn describes our present lot. Some of the words are quarantine, lockdown and new normal. However, I would like to propose another word: re-imagination. This is not in any way longing for a future utopia after this pandemic passes, but a sort […]
How will the Church keep the faith alive in the “new normal”? The Coronavirus certainly forced us to change our traditional ways of celebrating our Catholic faith. This year’s Holy Week experience was not only historic but most of all unforgettable since we have celebrated it in different ways. Religious worship looks different now and […]
Wuhan Who or What? My first encounter with coronavirus led to my discovery of Wuhan, a city in the province of Hubei in China. Before the virus struck, I hadn’t heard of Wuhan. But when CNN broke the news about the novel coronavirus, it showed footages of the place where it first broke out. And […]
The three photographs below are original shots taken by a consummate photographer, Leon Paulo Zaragoza. These works of art fall under the intellectual property belonging solely to the photographer and may require his consent for their use by others, original or derivative, in any medium of communication or advertising, online or otherwise. There are many […]
