The Floods Brought by Storm Ondoy

My kids and I always clean the Powerhouse Church every Saturday morning around 10 AM. But September 26, 2009 will be different. Early by 9 AM-it started to rain hard-and never let-up until 12 Noon+. After cleaning the church-we prayed for awhile with Aldren-and then tried to go home.

But we cannot-The wind was howling at El Rancho Inn-and my children and I will be wet -even with our jackets on. So we crossed to TEC Cinema building to be sheltered from the storm.But no Jeepney ever stops there-since It is already started to egt flooded. So we walked towards the SM Tunasan building-and waited there for a ride. Around 12 Noon-we were able to board a jeepney which only goes halfway upto the front of RMT Industrial Compound. Boundary San Pedro with its short concrete bridge was flooded-and the currents were strong.

We waited for a CHER Bus to pass through and we were able to ride on it-with my 3 kids (Mai, Enye and Ebeng). I sent my eldest, Uel -ahead for home-while the floods is slightly lower-so he can help my wife in bringing up the equipments and furnitures. My 3 kids and I were able to aloft at 7-11 United San Pedro. We ate our lunch there (donuts with pineapple juice-and took a wee break). Around 2 PM we crossed the flooded National Road and went to the Meralco San Pedro office. We were able to change clothes and dry them with CR blower. The staff and guards of Engr Vic Baylosis’ branch were very helpful and accommodating.

We ate merienda at San Pedro branch-I just some bread from Julie’s bakeshop-and what was left is for the supper of my children who will be left at the branch.

Around 5 PM-after Engr Baylosis cleared my kids staying for the night at the branch-I trekked back towards our house. Along the way with -with abdomen deep waters – the currents were strong, the manholes are uncovered and the street are filled with rocks and what have you. But the Lord prevailed in all of these. I keep calling His name to make the rains stopped and to help me go home. My feet ached during the process but I was able to enter my house @ 6PM. From that time the waters started to recede.

The electric power returned by 9 PM-and I was able to restore the lights and the ordinary convenience outlets -without the water pump. We slept restless. For the next day will be cleaning the muds away. That will be my next story.

I attached some pictures of San Pedro Boundary, my house when the floods started to recede:

Reliability Forum: August 28, 2009

I was one of the resource speaker at the subject forum -held at Valenzuela Sector , Karuhatan, Valenzuela. Besides me was from Sales, Sustem Adequacy and the Maintenance group of Networks. Here is my slide presentation which I delivered in 10 minutes only:

And here are some pictures when I delivered my part :

Jesus Raised Lazarus: John 11:1-45

My pastor at Powerhouse Baptist Church allowed me to preach last Wednesday night as part of the book series on “3 Steps Forward, 2 Steps Back” by Charles Swindoll. This would be my first and last preaching 0-at least for this year. Here is my working outline (incomplete without the intro and concluding application):

John 11:1-46

Intro: Who They Are (v. 1-2)

Martha, Mary and Lazarus

The same sisters who have some misunderstanding on what to do in face of Jesus when he visited them. Also Mary who anointed the fet of Jesus for burial with an alabaster worth of 1 year’s wage.

1. Jesus Informed (v.3-6)
Loved?-Affectionate-Emotional Attachment. Maybe His kind of people as a man. Genuine likeness for all of them-Not eros-sexual love which is prevalent being insinuated by others. Why can’t we like others without the sexual factor? It is because of the lie that is peddled to us every time in our society.

God’s glory, God’s Son glorified- This sickness will not end in death!-So weird a term. we don’t know it especially our hearts.

He waited for 2 more days-but he did wait- for He is already dead when he received the message. Needed to prove that he is really dead when he has to raise him. See slide.

2. His decision to go to Bethany (v. 7-11)

He made enemies when he healed the man born blind, Also when he taught about the Bread From Heaven

12 hours of daylight-when he is given by the Father to do what he have to do-prepare his disciples and the people and then die at the right time-then night time comes

Fallen sleep-euphemisms for Christian later who die in the lord-for he will wake us up at the last day.

3. Lazarus Dead (v. 12-16)

Disciples are hard headed-cannot see thru the usual, language of the Lord. So he make it plain so that there will be no misunderstanding later. He teaches then do it.

I am glad for your sake

Thomas comment- Loyalty with a tinge of pessimism. He will go with him-but it will be suicide. Later –if not for the fact that Jesus protected them in the Garden-that they will be able to escape-or they would have been crucified one-by-one .

4. Bethany-4 days Tomb (v.17-19)

Bethany 3 kms from Jerusalem- 4 days-undeniable fact that Lazarus was dead and is now in a state of decomposition.

And since Martha’s family is prominent and near to Jerusalem-there are many onlookers. Ready for the grand miracle Jesus will be doing.

5. Jesus and Martha (v.20-27)

Mary stayed home-loss of appetite and strength due to grief.

Lord if oyu have been here…Not unbelief but Martha’s faith at this point is based on what Jesus had done before. She is not prepared for what He will be doing later. And yet She hopes-against hope. Against what she can fully understand or experience.

Even if Jesus keeps affirming that the source of life and resurrection-she does not get. Even when she affirmed that He is the Christ and the Son of God. Comprehension fails when face with the Revelation of the glory of the Son.

Our eyes cannot see directly towards the Sun. Nor faith fully comprehend what Grace is .

Faith seeking, Faith not able to grasp God’s Glory

6. Martha And Mary (v.28-31)

Martha Secretly told Mary-so as to maybe have her help him to do something-even when their minds cannot fathom it yet.

Why not rushing to Jesus? Maybe she gave up hope when Lazarus died-he might be their youngest –and thus dear to them. And his loss shock her and she felt numb afterwards.

Only when she learns that Jesus islooking for her that she woke up from stupor-mindlessness.

Thus the onlookers or professional mourners saw-and they follow her-they thought she was going to the tomb.

7. Jesus and Mary (v. 32-35)

And due to the grief and physical -mental exhaustion brought by the death of their brother-she fell at his feet- pouring her hearts to her. And maybe pleading –for something He can still do.

Teachers/ Rabbis are prominent members of the society and it is an honor that Jesus can visit them . Teachers will be restrained and dignified when they attended such wake (Greeks and Romans do) . B

But Jesus did not do this . He truly cares for them even when He is trying to fulfill His mission and give His father the Glory due to him. In fact He is willing to exercise more- that even if it will mean that others will plot to kill Him after this.

Kuhbler-Ross diagram on 5 stages of grief (1969-On Death and Dying). Shows that 5 stages or qualities that bereaved members experienced when their love ones die. Some are evident with Mary.

And Jesus wept-
It is also a good for us for us –not to speak so much but just be present- and weep with those who weep-or be silent in the face of such grief. Let us not be the three wretched friends of Job who does not let-up in condemning him- and speak of long theologies when your are physically,mentally, emotionally and spiritual in tortured situation.

8. Mixed reactions (v.36-37)

How He loved him-They admired

Why did he let him die?-But others throws insinuations that he does not really care-and it is only for show.

9. Take Away the stone (v.38-40)

At the command of Jesus-he wanted the stone taken away-but here Martha’s faith also failed-she cannot see through the rotting flesh she can smell-

And was it so glad that Grace and God does not depend on what our faith can grasp-in order for Him to do His work!

Jesus equates the Glory of God to the Raising of Lazarus. God’s glory in our resurrection- Not a glory on His own –but shown in his redemption. His power to overcome death- which sin set loose at the beginning of time.

10. Lazarus Raised (v. 41-44)

Jesus talked with the Father- For the sake of those hearing

And called a dead man –with clothes wrapping him like a mummy. Lying down in that situation and yet able to hear the voice of His Master-this miracle out a shock of what Jesus can really do. And who he really is

Conclusion: Others believed, others conspired to get him killed

So others believe-and yet others remain in their unbelief or is hardened in it.

Here are the powerpoint slides I prepared for this talk:

Saturday Bible Studies

Last three Saturdays ago I started an afternoon bible studies at the San Pedro Christian Reformed Church. The local church elders there decided to allow me to share the burden with them in reaching out to the construction workers of one of the elders there. I have presented  my initial proposal to them and thank God-that they agreed to it.  It will run for 11 weeks-hopefully. So these are the past  Saturdays I had spent with them and the corresponding topics I facilitated:

September 5: Roman road and One-verse Evangelism Presentation

 September 12: Call of Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13)

                             Two Thieves ( Luke 23:32-43)

September 19: Canaanite Woman’s Faith (Matthew 15:21-28)

                             Call of Peter (Luke 5:1-11)

Here are some pictures:

And here is me with my fellow travelers in this bible studies:

Children of Christians Saved (?)

From the Canon of Dordt:

“Hence it clearly appears that some have acted very improperly and against all truth, fairness, and love in wishing to persuade the public of the following:

…Many innocent children of believers are torn from their mothers’ breasts and tyrannically thrown into hell, so that neither the blood of Christ nor their baptism nor the prayers of the church at their baptism can be of any help to them.”

From hence-you can see that even Reformed Christians (second generation from the Protestant Reformation) believed that infant baptism has some utility in securing the salvation fo their children. It is also adduced that in ther story of David and his child with Bathsheba- that “I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” meaning that this child -being his child- a child of the covenant is in a saved condition. This is always offered as a proof of child salvation based on the covenant.

But does it also mean that the child was alrerady covenantally circumcised? The child died on the 7th day-As per Matthew Poole reckoning-it is reckon from the date of the child’s birth. The Hebrew words used is na’ar and yeled -both indicating a child from infancy to early adolescent-there is no indication that it is definitely a 7- days old baby. But if it is a 7-days old baby-then it had never reached the 8th day. And what is the 8th day means?

Genesis 17:12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

Which means that David still thinks that the child-since he is a covenant child- is secure in God’s hand-even without the benefit of a covenantal sign and seal! And that those Christians parents who have children who dies in infancy need not fear if their children did not receive the sacrmanent of baptism in order to be sure of their children’s salvation.

Well it is debateable at the least-but I still think that if we believe in the omniscience of our God and that the example of Jesus in holding children as good examples of citizens of the kingdom-We need not fear from thie Middle Age superstition. Our Father protects his children-and his Son’s death at the cross infinite worth is able to ransom them from the fiery hell awaiting the devil and his angels.

We Don’t Need Another Aquino. It is time for Roxas

I believed in Ninoy. I believed in Cory. They are not perfect.We have rotating brownouts and coup d etats then. Our economy did not become a tiger economy in her term. MNLF adn MILF made a resurgence during her time. But yes-she restored democracy and was able to resist the pull of totalitarian power or perpetuating herself at the office.

2009 is a different time. Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos are no longer the dictators. But yes -there is still a couple who sits at Malacañang with the power and rumors of corruption. Of wealth and public offices.

Where was Noynoy in all of this? He did protected his mother during the coup d’etat and a bullet still is lodged at his neck. But the fighting,the  bills and laws needed by the people were done by others.

See this biography from his website:

HON. BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
Representative, 2nd District, Tarlac

PERSONAL DATA
Office Address Room 510 (SW), House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City
Tel. 9315001 loc. 7288; 9316730
Email: benigno_aquino_iii@yahoo.com

Date of Birth 08 February

Place of Birth Manila

Civil Status Single

Parents Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. &
President Corazon C. Aquino

GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Member House of Representatives
(1998-2001; 2001-2004; 2004-2007)

Deputy Speaker House of Representatives
13th Congress of the Philippines
(8 November 2004 – 21 February 2006)

HOUSE COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

13th Congress Banks & Financial Intermediaries, Energy, Export Promotion, Public Order & Safety

12th Congress Civil, Political & Human Rights, Good Government, Public Order & Security, Inter-Parliamentary Relations & Diplomacy

11th Congress Civil, Political & Human Rights (Vice-Chairman),
Public Order & Security, Transportation & Communications, Agriculture, Banks & Financial
Intermediaries, Peoples’ Participation, Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, Appropriations, Natural Resources, Trade & Industry

LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE

Made the procurement of the petroleum, oil and lubricant (POL) requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines transparent by requiring public bidding.

SELECTED HOUSE BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS

•House Bill No. 4251 – granting annual productivity incentives to all workers in the private sector

•House Bill No. 4397 – strengthening the regulatory power of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to effectively enforce consumer laws

•House Bill No. 4252 – increasing the penalties for non-compliance of the prescribed increases and adjustments in the wage rates of workers

•House Bill No. 3616 – extending the reglementary period for the educational qualification for PNP members

•House Bill No. 1842 – providing for the codification of criminal laws

•House Resolution No. 65 – inquiry in aid of legislation into the policies and processes of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in granting rate increases to electric utilities

•House Resolution No. 788 – creating a select Congressional Oversight Committee on intelligence funds to check and study the use of intelligence funds by government agencies to ensure that funds allocated therefor are utilized for the purpose they are intended

POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION & POSITION

Vice Chairman Liberal Party of the Philippines
(March 17, 2006 to present)

Secretary General Liberal Party of the Philippines
(2004 to March 16, 2006)

Vice-Pres. for Luzon Liberal Party of the Philippines
(2002-2004)

Secretary General Liberal Party of the Philippines
(1999-2002)

Chairman of the Board Central Luzon Congressional Caucus

EDUCATION

AB Economics Ateneo de Manila University
(1977-1981)

Secondary Education Ateneo de Manila University
(1973-1977)

Primary Education Ateneo de Manila University
(1965-1973)

Compare:

Mar Roxas is also a son of  a hero-albeit now forgotten- one who fought Marcos openly-as president of the liberal party and UNIDO. Mar Roxas was tirelessly making laws that will benefit the masses. He was also courageous in witholding his support for Erap during EDSA 2.

This is Mar Roxas’:

Biography

‘Mr. Palengke’ is Senator MAR Roxas, the son of the illustrious Senator Gerry Roxas, and the grandson of the venerable President Manuel Roxas whose public service careers have greatly benefited the country. MAR graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1974 and the Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. Before entering public service, MAR worked as an investment banker, mobilizing venture capital funds for Small and Medium Enterprises.

MAR’s public service life began in the House of Representatives in 1993. After his congressional stint, he was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry; and then in 2004, he was elected to the Senate with a staggering 20 million votes, the largest ever obtained by a candidate in any Philippine election.

Owing to his record of accomplishments as a public servant and political leader, the international community described MAR as “one of the young leaders in politics and business who will bring Asia and the Pacific to the forefront of world affairs.” At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, MAR was named as “one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow who is expected to shape the future.” Recently, the Singapore Government has awarded him as the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Fellow.

Majority Leader of the House of Representatives

MAR joined the government in 1993 as a Congressman representing the 1st District of Capiz. He later became Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.

As a congressman, MAR espoused consumer protection, underscoring the right of every Filipino to affordable medicines, as his personal advocacy. His landmark laws include, among others:

RA 8759 – establishing in all municipalities a Public Employment Service Office which serves as employment facilitation and information center, and links all job opportunities within the region;
RA 8748 – amending the Special Economic Zone Act by directly allocating to the municipality or city 2% (out of the 5%) gross tax to be collected from the establishments operating in the ecozone and providing for disturbance compensation for persons to be displaced or evicted by publicly-owned ecozones;
RA 8756 – incentivizing the establishment of regional headquarters to encourage investment and operation of multinational companies in the country and to generate more jobs.
MAR’s stint in the House is most noted for his principal authorship of RA 7880, also known as the Roxas Law, which ensures fair distribution of the education capital budget among all the provinces. This gave life to his advocacy for fair and equitable access to education, free from regional bias and political patronage considerations.

Mr. Palengke in DTI

In 2000, MAR served as Trade and Industry Secretary. During his four-year stint, he pushed for the development of the “palengke” as the basic unit of the economy and the root of progress, staunchly advocating not only consumer welfare and protection but also sound trade and investment policies, particularly SME development.

Education. MAR intensified his commitment to quality education through the Personal Computers for Public Schools (PCPS) Program, which distributed over 30,000 computers to 2,000 public high schools all over the country. PCPS computers provided some 500,000 high school students with the necessary ICT tools and skills.

Trade. MAR’s work regarding trade policy was highlighted during the 2003 WTO Meeting in Cancun, Mexico, where he fought for increased market access for Philippine exports, particularly agricultural products and a rationalized Philippine trade regime so domestic industries would not be unduly harmed.

Information Technology. Hailed as the ‘Father of the Call Center and Business Process Outsourcing Industries’, MAR saw and harnessed the potential of the Philippines as a global e-services hub. He launched ‘Make IT Philippines’ and organized the first IT-enabled services (ITES) to the US which inevitably led to the biggest global industry names to invest in the country, thereby creating thousands of jobs for Filipino IT workers.

MAR pioneered the establishment of high-technology industry centers and the promotion of the business process outsourcing (BPO) market in the country, particularly call center operations, hence providing jobs and incomes to Filipinos. From a mere 2000 jobs at the onset, the BPO industry now provides hundreds of thousands of jobs, thereby putting the Philippines on the map as a major IT/BPO destination.

Jobs. MAR worked for the reopening of the National Steel Corporation which provided thousands of jobs, income and livelihood to Iligan City, Northern Mindanao and adjacent regions. He also launched the Garment Export Industry Transformation Plan and Assistance Package to enhance the competitiveness of the industry and ensure its viability and vibrancy beyond 2004. Moreover, he initiated the Motor/Vehicle Development Program to promote exports, create a viable market base for our car manufacturers and secure jobs for our workers.

MSMEs. Believing that micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs serve as the prime engine for job generation, MAR pushed for MSME development through the SULONG (SMEs Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth) Program, which granted almost P26.7 billion on low-interest loans to 281,229 SMEs on its first year.

Consumer Welfare. MAR promoted the Tamang Timbang, Tamang Presyo program for consumers to get the “full and best value for their money”; the Presyong Tama, Gamot Pampamilya to make affordable and quality medicines accessible to Filipinos, and Pinoy Pandesal, Palengke ng Bayan, among others. These programs promoted supply chain efficiencies leading to growth and productivity, and a wide range of opportunities and long-term gains.

Being the proponent of the philosophy of ‘palengkenomics’, which considers the palengke as the economy’s weathervane and the mirror by which its over-all health can be seen and measured, MAR to this day continues to conduct weekly monitoring of the prices of prime commodities and maintains strong linkages with suppliers, traders, and vendors in the different wet markets.

“Price is an important economic indicator. It is a crucial determinant of activity in the market place,” he said.

Consumerist crusade continues at the Senate

MAR’s consumerist crusade continues with his authorship of Senate Bill No. 2139, which seeks to lower the cost of medicines by amending the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. With the approval of this bill, prices of quality medicines are expected to drop resulting in savings for the poor, and better health for all.

MAR resolved to protect consumers from defective and substandard products. Thus, he initiated inquiries, with the end in view of strengthening the Consumer Code of the Philippines, on such legislative proposals as the ‘Lemon Law’, proper labeling of milk, toys, and food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and stronger safeguards against pyramiding and other similar scams.

As chairperson of the Senate Committees on Trade and Commerce and on Economic Affairs and as co-chairperson of the Congressional Oversight Committee on the Electronic Commerce Law, MAR continued to nurse the economy back to robust health through education, information technology, job creation, and development of small and business enterprises.

When the pre-need industry succumbed to a mismanagement-spawned financial crisis, which threatened to wipe out the investments of thousands of consumers in pre-need plans, he filed a bill, the Pre-Need Act of 2005, to improve and strengthen industry regulation and safeguard consumer interest. MAR’s leadership at the time provided pre-need plan holders a veritable lifeline.

For MAR, the exercise of public leadership entails accountability and transparency which should bring about people empowerment. He has called for a paradigm shift in policy-making, rejecting incrementalism, or the tingi mentality, which has resulted to ‘doing a little bit of everything to please a little bit of everyone.’

“People can hardly feel the impact of incrementalism. Government must target the people’s most pressing concerns and focus its resources on completely addressing these problems. We can’t be doing what we used to do in the past simply because if we did, there is no reason to expect that the future would be any different,” he said.

He complements his youth and dynamism by listening to the voices of the common Filipino, reaching out to them through personal interaction, the media, and various IT tools. His website, http://www.marroxas.com, is a sampler of his IT inclination, an interactive site that dispenses user-friendly information and serves as repository of public sentiment.

MAR has distinguished himself as a public servant in his own unique way, following the imprints of his forbears yet with the courage and competence to carve his own path as a national leader

Again my take:
I understand that Mar Roxas is way below in the surveys now. But who are those at the top of the surveys?

1. Villar- C5 at tiyaga? Philippines will become a big subdivision for him

2. Erap- We have  long memory- we will not forget his jueteng money, Dacer, midnight cabinets, and his girlfriends

3. Chiz- too young.Not now at least.

4. Binay- Philippines is not like Makati. We are not transients-we live here permanently

5. Noli- who? No guts to confront GMA for her sins. Jsut waiting to be endorsed.

It is time for Senator Mar Roxas. We will not be deprived like last time when Sen. Raul Roco. Today is our future. Please don’t fail us.

Church Father’s Website

 

You’re St. Melito of Sardis! You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins. Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!