mabuhay issue no. 950

MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980

ISSN–1655-3853 • DISYEMBRE 18 - 24, 2009 • VOL. 30, NO. 51 • 10 PAHINA • P10.00

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Ang kapayapaanAng kapayapaanAng kapayapaanAng kapayapaanAng kapayapaanng Paskong Paskong Paskong Paskong Pasko

ay suma-inyoay suma-inyoay suma-inyoay suma-inyoay suma-inyoat sa lahat!at sa lahat!at sa lahat!at sa lahat!at sa lahat!

PUNO NG LIWANAG — Sa kabila ng gulong pampulitikang hatid ngdesisyon ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) sa protestang isinampa nidating Gob. Roberto Pagdanganan kay Gob. Joselito Mendoza, ang liwanag nahatid ng higanteng Christmas Tree ay nagsisilbing tanglaw sa mga taga-suporta

ng punong lalawigan na nagsisipagbantay sa harap ng kapitolyo. Ang mga ilawng Christmas tree sa harap ng kapitolyo ay sinimulang sindihan noong Huwebes,ika-3 ng Disyembre. Ito ay yari sa singkaban o kinayas na kawayan at may taasna 52 talampakan. — Dino Balabo

Maguindanao massacrMaguindanao massacre: Pe: Pinakamarahas ang 2009 sa mamamahayaginakamarahas ang 2009 sa mamamahayagNI DINO BALABO

MALOLOS — Pinakamarahas ang 2009sa lahat ng panahon para sa mga mama-mahayag sa mundo dahil sa pamamas-lang ng 30 mamamahayag sa Maguin-danao noong Nobyembre 23 kasama ang27 pang di armadong sibiliyan, ayon saCommittee to Protect Journalist (CPJ)na nakabase sa New York.

Dahil sa nasabing pamamaslang,itinanghal ang Pilipinas bilang pinaka-delikado at pinakamarahas na bansa sabuong mundo para sa mga mamamahayag.

Samantala, nanawagan naman angPhilippine Press Institute (PPI) sa lahatng kasapi nito na magsindi ng kandila atmanalangin para sa katarungan sa Dis-yembre 23 bilang paggunita sa ika-30 arawo isang buwan ng karumal-dumal na

Maguindanao massacre.Batay sa ulat na ipinalabas ng CPJ sa

kanilang website (www.cpj.org) noongDisyembre 17, 68 mamamahayag angpinaslang sa buong mundo sa unang 11buwan ng taong ito.

Ang CPJ ay isa sa mga pandaigdigangsamahan ng mga mamamahayag natumutulong sa Freedom Fund for FilipinoJournalists (FFFJ) sa kampanya laban sa

“culture of impunity” o kawalan ng napa-parusahan sa pamamasalang sa mgamamamahayag, militante at mga bikti-ma ng “extra-judicial killings” sa bansa.Kasama rin ng FFFJ ang CPJ sa pagsa-sagawa ng fact finding mission saMaguindanao ilang araw matapos angMaguindanao massacre.Ang 68 na pinaslang sa taong ito ay ang

sundan sa pahina 9

2 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 DISYEMBRE 18 -24, 2009

EDITORIALAlfredo M. Roxas, Jose Romulo Q. Pavia, JoseGerardo Q. Pavia, Joey N. Pavia , Jose VisitacionQ. Pavia, Carminia L. Pavia, Perfecto RaymundoJr., Dino Balabo

ADVERTISINGJennifer T. Raymundo

PRODUCTIONJose Antonio Q. Pavia, Jose Ricardo Q. Pavia,Mark F. Mata, Maricel P. Dayag,

PHOTOGRAPHY / ARTEden Uy, Allan Peñaredondo,Joseph Ryan S. Pavia

BUSINESS / ADMINISTRATION

Loreto Q. Pavia, Marilyn L. Ramirez,Peñaflor Crystal, J. Victorina P. Vergara,Cecile S. Pavia, Luis Francisco, Domingo Ungria,Harold T. Raymundo,

CIRCULATIONRobert T. Raymundo, Armando M. Arellano,Rhoderick T. Raymundo

The Mabuhay is published weekly by theMABUHAY COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES —DTI Permit No. 00075266, March 6, 2006 toMarch 6, 2011, Malolos, Bulacan.

The Mabuhay is entered as Second Class MailMatter at the San Fernando, Pampanga PostOffice on April 30, 1987 under Permit No. 490;and as Third Class Mail Matter at the ManilaCentral Post Office under permit No. 1281-99-NCR dated Nov. 15, 1999. ISSN 1655-3853

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MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980

Jose L. PaviaPublisher/Editor

Perfecto V. RaymundoAssociate Editor

Anthony L. PaviaManaging Editor

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Promdi DINO BALABO

Maligayang Pasko!

Buntot Pagé PERFECTO V. RAYMUNDO

Alaala ni Ka Blas OpleIKA-14 ng Disyembre taong 2003nang gulantangin ng isang ma-samang balita ang mga Bula-kenyo at marahil ang buongbansa. Kasama si Ka Blas sapagdalaw ni Pangulong GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo sa bansangBahrain, ngunit inatake sa pusosi Ka Blas sa loob ng eroplano.Ibinaba siya sa Taiwan kung saansiya binawian ng buhay.

Sa pagpanaw ni Ka Blas, angForeign Affairs Secretary nang si-ya ay atakihin sa puso, ay mulingbumalik sa aking alaala angtagpo nang siya ay aming maka-usap ng aming publisher na siJose L. Pavia sa Army and NavyClub may 26 na taon na ang na-kalilipas.

Iminungkahi noon ni Ka Blasna tutulungan kami para maka-utang sa Development Bank ofthe Philippines (DBP) upangmaging puhunan sa aming ling-guhang pahayagang Mabuhay.

Ngunit sa dami ng require-ments ng DBP ay hindi naminsinunod ang payo ni Ka Blas.

May isa pang pangyayari nahindi ko malilimutan, ito ay nangkami ni kasamang Rod M. Reyesay pumunta sa kanyang tahanansa Hagonoy nang siya ay kuma-kampanya sa pagka-assembly-man. Naibalita ni Rod na ini-scratch ang kanyang pangalan sagrupo ng kanyang katiket noon.

Halos magdikit ang kanyangkilay nang ito ay kanyang mari-nig at nagpaalam sa amin na siyaay aalis sandali at nagpahintay saamin. Nang siya ay nagbalik aymaaliwalas na ang kanyangmukha.

Sa aking sariling palagay,maihahanay si Ka Blas sa mgadakilang Bulakenyong tulad ninaGat. Marcelo H. del Pilar atMariano Ponce, na nag-ambag ngkanilang angking talino sa ika-lalaya ng ating bansa sa kamayng mga dayuhan.

Kayo ano sa palagay ninyo?8 kandidato sa pagka-pangulo

WALO ang sertipikadong kan-didato sa pagka-pangulo ng Pili-pinas sa halalan sa Mayo 2010,ayon sa Commission on Elec-tions. Sila ay sina Benigno “Noy-noy” Aquino ng Liberal Party atang bise niya ay si Mar Roxas.

Ang iba pang kandidato sapagka-pangulo at ang kanyangpangalawang pangulo ay sina:Manny Villar ng NacionalistaParty at katiket na si LorenLegarda. Joseph Estrada katiketsi Makati Mayor Jejomar Binayng Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino.

Gilbert Teodoro-Edu Man-zano ng Lakas-Kami-CMD. Rich-ard Gordon-Bayani Fernando ngPartido Bagumbayan, JambyMadrigal na isang independiente,

Eddie Villanueva-Perfecto YasayJr. ng Bangon Pilipinas, at J.C.Delos Reyes ng Ang Kapatiran.

Narito naman ang ilang kan-didato sa pagka-senador: RuffyBiazon, Franklin Drilon, TeofistoGuingona III, Ralph Recto, SoniaRoco, Riza Hontiveros ng LiberalParty.

Silvestre Bello III, Bong Re-villa Jr., Ramon Guico, RaulLambino, Rey Langit at LitoLapid ng Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., PiaCayetano, Ramon Mitra, SusanOple, Ariel Querubin, GilbertRemulla at Adel Tamano ngNacionalista Party.

Juan Ponce Enrile, J.B. Bau-tista, Joey de Venecia III, JinggoyEstrada at Apolinario Lozada Jr.ng Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino.

Vicente Sotto III at RodolfoPlaza ng NPC; Reynaldo Ma-ambay, Shariff Albani, ImeldaPapin, Hector Villanueva, Ma.Judea Millora at Alma_Lood ngKBL. Miriam Defensor Santiagong People’s Reform Party. HenryCaunan at Gwendolyn Pimentelng PDP Laban; Satur Ocampo,Liza Maza, Sergio Osmena III atJovito Palparan Jr., independent.Rizalito David. Jo Imbang, Zo-simo Paredes. Ma. Gracia Pin-tazo-Pizza, Aldrin Sison, Regi-nald Tamayo, Hector Terrazonaat Manuel Valdenuesa.

EDITORYAL

Pasko sa pusoKAY bilis lumipas ng mga araw, halos hindi natin namalayan, Paskona naman at abala na naman ang marami sa atin sa mga materyalna bagay na ihahanda.

Kabilang diyan ay ang mga pagkaing pagsasaluhan ng pamilya,mga damit na bago na isusuot sa pamamasko, bukod pa sa mgadekorasyon sa bahay at mga pang-regalo.

Ang lahat ng mga nabanggit ay madaling ihanda, kung maysapat na salapi. Ngunit sa panahong ito ng krisis sa ekonomiya nanagsimula noon pang huling bahagi ng nagdaang taon, marami saatin ang naghihipit ng sinturon.

Ito ay tamang desisyon. Kailangang magtipid tayo sa panahonng kagipitan at paghandaan ang darating na mga araw dahil hinditayo nakatitiyak kung makakaahon na ba tayo sa krisis o patuloypang bubulusok.

Totoo, parang napakahirap ipagdiwang ang Pasko sa taongito. Katatapos lamang ng pananalanta ng mga bagyo at baha salalawigan na nasundan pa ng banta ng batas militar na ipinatupadsa Maguindanao, ngunit binawi rin matapos ang isang linggo.

Ngunit ang pagdiriwang ng Pasko ay hindi nasusukat lamangsa mga materyal na bagay na ating inihanda o natanggap. Angtunay na pagdiriwang ng Pasko ay nasa puso kung saan ayipinauunawa sa atin ng Bibliya na sa kabila ng daluyong ng buhayay may pag-asa.

Naalala pa ba ninyo kung gaano ang naging paghihirap ngmag-asawang San Jose at Birheng Maria sa paghahanap ngmatutuluyan ilang oras bago isilang ang Mesiyas o ang DakilangTagapagligtas ng sanlibutan na si Panginong Hesu-Kristo? Hindiba’t halos lahat ng maaaring matuluyan ay nalibot na nila bagosila patuluyin sa isang sabsaban? Ang karanasan nila aynagpapaalala sa atin ng patuloy na pagpupunyagi sa panahon ngkagipitan at pagsubok.

Hindi pa doon natatapos ang mensahe ng Pasko. Mataposisilang sa sabsaban ang Anak ng Diyos, ilang araw din siyangnanatili doon at bumilang pa ng 30 taon bago niya sinimulan angKanyang ministeryo ng pagtuturo at pagliligtas sa kaluluwa ng tao.

Bigyang pansin natin ang pagiging sanggol ng Mesiyas.Ipinauunawa ng kalagayang iyon sa bawat isa sa atin ang pagigingmababang loob, ang kawalan ng kakayahan at kapangyarihan natuparin o isagawa ang isang dakilang misyon. Ngunit tunay namarunong at dakila ang Diyos, ipinakita niya sa atin na magingang Kanyang Anak, ang ating Dakilang Tagapagligtas ay umaasaat nagtiwala rin Kanya.

Maraming aral na hatid ang Pasko. Ngunit ang pag-unawa samga ito ay nakasalalay sa atin kung tayo ay pansamantalang titigil,iiwang panandali ang mga materyal na bagay na umaagaw sa atingatensyon, at pagninilayan ang diwa ng pagdating ng Mesiyas saating mundo.

Manalangin tayo. Unawain ang mensahe ng Pasko sa buhaynatin. Isapuso ang diwa nito at mabuhay ng mapayapa.

Maligayang Pasko sa ating lahat!

PASKO na naman. Nagsimula nanoong Disyembre 16 ang Sim-bang Gabi, pero karaniwan aynagsisipagsimba kung madalingaraw.

Hindi ba mas akmang magingtawag doon ay Simbang MadalingAraw?

* * *Pagkatapos dumalo sa misa na

tinatawag na Simbang Gabi,kaugalian na ng mga Pinoy angbumili ng puto bungbong namukhang sumang hubad.

Hindi ba mas tamang tawagdoon ay sumang luto sa tubo?

* * *Marami ding nagtitinda ng

bibingka kapag magpa-Pasko. Itoang tinatawag ng Promdi na“Pinoy pizza.”

Ang pizza na niluluto sa pu-gon kung saan ay napapaligiranng init ang isinalang na pizza.Ang paraan naman ng paglulutosa bibingka ay iniipit sa apoy.

* * *Sabi ni Father Pedring ng

Leighbytes Computer Center saMalolos, matatawag ding “hellcake” bibingka.

Nakaipit daw kasi sa apoy, atsa impyerno ay puro apoy angmakikita. Di pa siya galing doon.

* * *Ayon sa mga matatanda, ma-

raming milagro ang nagaganapsa loob ng 10 araw na pagsa-sagawa ng Simbang gabi.

“Totoo yan,” sabi ni FatherPedring. Marami kasing nagta-tanan sa nasabing panahon dahilginagawang dahilan ng mgadalaga ay magsisimbang gabi sila.

* * *Ayon naman sa mga mata-

tandang mapamahiin, kapagnakumpleto mo ang pagdalo saSimbang gabi at ikaw ay hu-miling sa Diyos, ikaw ay pag-bibigyan?

Sayang, hihiling sana si Fa-ther Pedring na tumama sa lotto,kaso hindi nakapagsimba saunang gabi.

* * *

Ang totoo, ganyan ang ku-wento ng buhay ng isang ma-tandang binatang kapitbahaynamin. Mahiyain kasi, kaya hindiagad nagka-asawa.

May asawa’t anak na siyangayon, pero hindi dahil saSimbang gabi.

* * *Noong binata pa siya, mati-

yaga niyang kinumpleto ang 10araw na Simbang gabi. Tuwingpapasok sa simbahan, lagi niyangdinadasal na “magka-asawa nasana ako.”

Ngunit dumating ang ika-10gabi ay wala pa siyang nagigingnobya, kaya’t sa kanyang pag-uposa mahabang bangko sa loob ngSimbahan ng Sta. Ana sa Hago-noy, tumabi siya sa isang ma-gandang dalaga.

* * *Wala sanang problema kung

hindi siya nagsalita ng malakassa huling bahagi ng misa.

Habang nakatitig sa altar, sundan sa pahina 6

Diwa ng Pasko’y hindi nagbabagoNarito ang editoryal sa sipi ngMabuhay noong ika-17 ng Disyembre,1993. — Patnugot

BILANG isang panahon ng pag-diriwang, ang Kapaskuhan aywalang pasubaling tatampukanna naman ng walang patlang nahandaan, salu-salo at mga pag-titipong sagana sa pagkain atinuming nagbabadya ng masa-yang diwa ng okasyon.

Hindi mapapasubalian angkatotohanang ang Pasko ay si-yang pinakamasayang araw sabuhay ng bawat nilalang ng May-kapal. Ito ang panahon na angbuong sangkatauhan ay sama-samang sumasalubong sa arawng pagsilang ng Dakilang Manu-nubos, ang ating Poong Hesuk-risto!

Maaaring magkakaiba angparaan at ang anyo ng ating pag-diriwang sa Kapaskuhan, ngunitsa paglipas man ng panahon ayiisang bagay ang hindi nagba-bago: Ang puso at kaluluwa ngKapaskuhan na paghahandog ngregalo, pag-aalay ng pag-ibig at

pagmamahal sa ating kapuwa. Itoang buod at diwa ng Kapas-kuhan.

Sa mga higit na nakaangat sabuhay, isang mainam na pagka-kataon ang iniaalay ng Kapas-kuhan upang lawitan natin nghabag at bigyan ng kalinga angmga kapuwa natin na nasa abaat duhaging kalagayan. Ibina-badya ng kasiyahan at kalu-walhatian ng okasyong ito ngkapanganakan ng Anak ng Diyosna “higit na pinagpapala angpagbibigay kaysa pagtanggap.”

Sa ating pagdiriwang, sa atinghandaan at salu-salo na kapilingang ating mga mahal sa buhay atmga kaibigan, sa bawat tahanangPilipino, sa lahat ng aming mam-babasa… Maligayang Pasko atMapayapa at Masaganang Ba-gong Taon sa inyong lahat!

Iwasan ang bawal na paputokNAIS naming ulitin ang babalalaban sa paggamit ngayong Ka-paskuhan at Bagong Taon ngmga ma-panganib na iba’t ibanguri ng paputok.

Upang maiwasan ang mgasakuna na dulot nitong mgapaputok ay marapat higpitan angpagpapatupad sa mga tuntuninsa paggawa at pag-bebenta ngmga paputok. Kailangan pa banating ipagunita sa madla angmga kasakunahang dulot ng mgapaputok sa mga nakalipas nangmga taon sa pagdiriwang ngPasko at Bagong Taon?

Para sa kapakanan ng lahat,ang paputok na pinahihintulutanng batas na maaaring ipagbili ayang Bawang, Baby Rocket, Tri-angulo, Pulling String, Paper-cups, El Diablo, Judas Belt, Sky-rocket, Crying Cow at Sparklers(lusis).

Ang uri ng mga bawal napaputok ay ang Super Thunder,Sawa, Chicken Sandwich at Pla-fla.

Alam na natin kung alin angbawal at nasa ating lahat angkaukulang pag-iingat.

Iwasan ang mga bawal napaputok. Tandaan natin, walangunang pag-sisisi. Palagi itongnasa bandang huli!

DISYEMBRE 18 -24, 2009 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 3

Regarding Henry

HENRYLITO D. TACIO

X’mas you’ve never knownIN the Philippines and through-out the Christian world, Christ-mas is one of the most anticipatedand celebrated events. Unfortu-nately, this most durable holiday,which has been around since itfirst unfolded in Bethlehem twomillennia ago, while Rome wassavoring its imperial glory, haslost some of its authenticity andoriginality. Somewhere along theway, myths and legends likeSanta Claus and his reindeerswere added to the scenario.Somehow, fantasy was super-im-posed on the Christmas spirit ofgiving and loving, especially in-fluencing the children.

Sadly, many so-called Chris-tians professing reverence for theHoly Infant are guilty as well ofsuperficiality and wanton disre-gard of yuletide traditions. Whyshould human intelligence, forinstance, devise an absurdchange for convenience? Thewidespread abbreviated refer-ence to Christ’s birthday,“’Xmas,” simply cannot be justi-fied nor accepted by true Chris-tians. It is certainly unforgivableto equate Christ, God’s greatestgift to mankind, with a commonalgebraic expression ordinarilyused as a symbol for the un-known.

Sadly, too, despite the avail-ability of the Holy Bible, someChristians have been too preoc-cupied with other cares to devotetime to the reading, in quest fortruth, of the good book. Theirbiblical knowledge is practicallynil, like drops in a bucket of wa-ter, yet they seem to be contentwith the meager informationgleaned haphazardly. There ismuch to gain from reading theScriptures, and this is a promisemade by Christ Himself.

True it is that some facets ofthe Nativity have remained mys-terious or vague, 2,000 years af-ter the Word was made flesh. Butwhere the Bible is specific, onestrengthens his spiritual beliefs.

The popular belief is that

Jesus Christ was born on Decem-ber 25 – (after all, that’s the timeof the year we celebrate Christ-mas!) – but there is no historicalevidence that this date is authen-tic. The date, which is purelyconjectural, was not given untilhundreds of years after the be-ginning of the Christian era.

St. Luke, the “Beloved Physi-cian” and an authority onChrist’s birth, recounts the firstChristmas in these words:

“At the time EmperorAugustus ordered a census to betaken throughout the RomanEmpire. When this first censustook place, Quirinius was the gov-ernor of Syria. Everyone, then,went to register himself, each tohis own hometown. Joseph wentfrom the town of Nazareth inGalilee to the town of Bethlehemin Judea, the birthplace of KingDavid. Joseph went there be-cause he was a descendant ofDavid. He went to register withMary, who was promised in mar-riage to him. She was pregnant,and while they were inBethlehem, the time came for herto have her baby. She gave birthto her first son, wrapped him incloths and laid him in a manger– there was no room for them tostay in the inn.

“There were some shepherdsin that part of the country whowere spending the night in thefields, taking care of their flocks.An angel of the Lord appeared tothem, and the glory of the Lordshone over them. They were ter-ribly afraid, but the angel said tothem, ‘Don’t be afraid! I am herewith good news for you, whichwill bring great joy to all thepeople. This very day in David’stown your Savior was born –Christ the Lord! And this is whatwill prove it to you: you will finda baby wrapped in cloths and ly-ing in a manger.’

“Suddenly, a great army ofheaven appeared with the angel,singing praises to God:

continued on page 8

Fair & Square

IKE SEÑERES

Cebu Calling FR. ROY CIMAGALA

A willful Christmas

Forward to Basics FR. FRANCIS B. ONGKINGCO

The thief and the Alabaster comb“THAT’S really one good work-manship I’ve never seen in mylife,”Anthony praised Joseph whowas patching the damaged roofof the soldier’s house. Theweather had been strange thepast few days and strong rainsand winds badly damaged manyhouses in Nazareth, includingthis Roman soldier’s home.

“I simply try to do the best Ican,” Joseph said as he made surethat the roof tiles were not onlyfirmly placed but also wellaligned.

“Oh come on, that’s not theonly thing I’ve seen you do well,Joseph,” the Roman casuallycalled him by his name. This wasquite unusual between Jews andpagans. But this particular sol-dier and Joseph had become verygood friends and they sharedmany experiences and dreamstogether.

Joseph could only smile as he

wiped away the sweat from hisforehead. “This will be finishedbefore sundown,” he replied. “Bytomorrow, the roof will be com-pletely dry and solid.”

Joseph climbed down the roof.Anthony asked, “So you’re soonoff to register in Bethlehem?”

“Yes,” Joseph said while hebrushed off the dust and somehay clinging to his workingclothes. “It will be quite a trip andnot an easy one especially whenMary is heavy with our child.”

“My friend, I can give youmore clothing and extra provi-sions for your trip. But don’t staytoo long in Bethlehem. I wouldn’tknow how to fix my house with-out your skills,” the Roman saidwhile giving Joseph a friendlyembrace.

“Thank you so much,” Josephfelt so grateful for finding a loyalfriend in this man who was noteven a Jew. He even behaved

more uprightly than some of theJews themselves. “I believe, how-ever, that Mary and I are quiteprepared for the trip. Don’tworry, we don’t plan to stay toolong, that’s also why we don’tintend to bring too many thingswith us.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” theman replied.

“Anton,” a woman’s voicecalled out. “Don’t forget thecomb.”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Antonsaid. “I must be getting old.” Hetakes a small alabaster combfrom his pocket. “Take this Jo-seph, it’s a treasured gift my wifeand I have kept for so long. Butthe gods never saw us fit to havethe gift of a son or daughter.”

“I cannot accept somethingthat means a lot to both of you,”Joseph resisted.

“My friend,” the soldier said, continued on page 8

WITH all the layers of elementsaccompanying the celebration ofChristmas, we need to be willfulin entering the proper spirit ofthe season. Otherwise we wouldget lost, most likely deadened andinsulated in a very sweet and hal-lucinatory manner.

Not all the glittery and senti-mental elements surroundingChristmas are good, and not allof them are bad either. Christmasshould be Christmas, not justChristmassy. We need to be trulydiscerning, driven by a deliberateeffort to live Christmas’ essence,and not just enjoy its peripher-als.

In its core, Christmas is thebirth of Jesus Christ, the son ofGod, the second person of theBlessed Trinity, who became manin the virginal womb of Mary tobe with us, to re-create our dam-aged nature, to reconcile us withour Father and Creator. He offershimself to the truth, way and lifefor that.

Christmas is God becomingman so that we can also becomelike God, as we originally aremeant to be. Christmas is Godwanting to be born in us so thatwe can be born again in him.

Its mainly religious charactershould never get lost in the dinand frenzy of the festivities. It isnot meant to be a wet blanket tothe fun of Christmas. Rather, itis meant to purify and raise thatjoy to a higher and proper level,while grounding it to its properroot.

As recorded in the Gospel andhanded down faithfully throughTradition within the Church,Christ’s nativity took a radicallysimple form, giving credence towhat St. Paul said in his letter toPhilippians:

“He emptied himself, takingthe form of a servant, being madein the likeness of men,… Hehumbled himself, becoming obe-dient unto death, even to the deathof the cross.” (2,7-8)

This self-emptying of Christ isthe proper attitude to have in cel-ebrating Christmas. If we are toenter the true spirit of Christmas,we too, like Christ, should gothrough this process of self-emp-tying. There’s no other way.

We need to learn how toachieve this self-emptying even inthe midst of the understandableatmosphere of joy and gift-givingcharacteristic of Christmas also.This will require of us certainskills and competence, derivedfrom the very example of Christhimself.

We need to continually exam-ine ourselves to see if we still havethe proper outlook and bearing.We have to be good in promptlyrejecting the many temptationsto spoil the Christmas spiritthrough the many gimmicks ofconsumerism, frivolity, gluttony,materialism, hedonism, etc.

By this time, we should al-ready have acquired a good

continued on page 8

Depthnews JUAN L. MERCADO

Bittersweet carols“IT depends where this carol issung,” we wrote earlier. Ifwarbled by grimy street-kids orplump matron, in Visayan speak-ing areas, it’s the 1933: “KasadyaNing Takna-a.” If crooned wheremovie-Tagalog is lingua franca,it’s the hijacked version: “AngPasko ay Sumapit.”

Whether sung in the originalCebuano or Tagalog, this carol isabout a season where, as theblasé New Yorker Magazine putit, “an array of luminous imageshint at all manner of annuncia-tion.”

My six-year old granddaugh-ter Kristin senses this truth. Shehears carols sung by her mother,nanny, TV—even her Lolo. Hereyes sparkle as she dons whitegown and angel wings for nurs-ery school Christmas program.

“We kneel, Lola,” she explains.“When?” the Lola asks. “Whenwe sing: “Fall on your knees. Ohear the angel voices…”

This old man will long be gonewhen Kristin enters college.She’ll find her childhood insightrepeated by Hamlet: “That sea-son comes wherein our Savior’sbirth is celebrated... The bird ofdawning singeth all night long.So hallow’d and so gracious is thetime.”

This “hallow’d time” resoundswith carols. The classics endure,like “O Come All Ye Faithful“Adeste Fidelis” and “O LittleTown of Bethlehem”.

But what happened to liltingSpanish carols like, “Nacio, NacioPastores”? Kids, besieging god-parents today, sing: “Mano PoNinong, Mano Po Ninang” or“We Wish You A Merry Christ-mas.” This country boasts of thelongest celebration of Christ-mas,” writes Manila Bulletincolumnist Jullie Yap Daza. “(But)the supreme irony is not theslightest effort has been made toattribute the beloved carol ‘AngPasko ay Sumapit’ to it’s author,Vicente D. Rubi” of Cebu.

In 1933, Cebu Christmas fes-tival officials asked composerRubi to join a competition. Rubiasked, in turn, Mariano Vestil toscribble the lyrics. Their“Kasadya Ning Takna-a” wonhands down.

“Today, wherever Visayan isspoken, carolers still belt out thesame infectious beat that Rubiand Vestil blended so brilliantly76 years ago,” the Inquirernoted. Bulahan ang tagbalay ngagi awitan… (“Blessed are thosewho carols are sang for”).

A Manila-based record com-

pany, however, hijacked Rubi andVestil’s carol for P150. NongInting, who died in 1980, “wasdenied what was due him in roy-alties,” Daza wrote. The platterfirm conned Rubi and Vestil withlegal dodges until their deaths.

That’s par for the course in acountry where an “elite ofthieves” govern and scandals likethe ZTE broadband scamabound. Those who crassly ex-ploited Rubi and Vestil have kin-dred spirits everywhere.

“Until his death in 1980,‘Nong Inting’ would shuffle to hisgates and teach startled carolershow to sing his daygon. LyricistVestil died in 2004. All he got wasan inside-page newspaper obitu-ary-column titled: A Bitter SweetCarol”.

“Few noticed the songwritersobituary. The Inquirer columnstashed read: “Twenty four yearsafter Rubi’s death, the lyricistVestil went to his grave, also be-reft of benefits and recognition–although their carol continues toresound, albeit in forms that Rubiand Vestil never sought…

Tiene cara de hambre, the or-phan tells the Crucified in themovie classic: “Marcelino, Pan YVino. “You have the face of hun-

continued on page 8

New future for cooperativesMY son asked me what a coop-erative is, and I told him in simpleterms that a cooperative is justlike a corporation, except that inthe former, it is one vote permember and in the latter, it is onevote per share. One way or theother, some people tend to lookdown on cooperatives on onehand. On the other hand, if westart looking at cooperatives asthe co-equal of corporations ex-cept for the voting method, wecan start looking at them withmore respect.

Dr. Virginia Teodosio, a U.P.professor who was formerly thehead of the Cooperatives Devel-opment Authority (CDA) told methat out of the 30,000 or so coop-eratives in the country, about10,000 of them are already con-sidered as multi-millionaires interms of assets. There are manyways to gain respect, but if it isonly measured in terms of com-pany income, then these rich co-operatives would truly merit ourrespect.

Admittedly, I was one of thosewho tended to look down on co-operatives, not out of disrespect,but out of disappointment. Outof the two coops that I joined, Ihad bad experiences, not beingable to collect my dividends onone, and not being able to receive

my stock certificates from theother one, despite many at-tempts. Thanks to Dr. Teodosio,I have now revived my interestin the cooperatives, and I am nowlooking at them as a source ofhope that this country could stillmove on towards something bet-ter.

Dr. Teodosio or “Benji” to hisfriends is now my co-host in“Bears & Bulls”, our daily busi-ness show in the Global NewsNetwork (GNN). She is now thehost of the “Coop Hour” everyTuesday from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.The response from the coopera-tive community has been tremen-dous. Since then, we have at-tracted many community leaders,in a way forming a new solid alli-ance to move the movement for-ward.

In a manner of speaking, co-operative companies (yes, theyare in effect companies too) couldbe considered as democratic in-stitutions, because the open win-dow for people to invest in smallamounts has a democratizing ef-fect, giving a chance for small in-vestors who are in effect shut outor excluded from big investmentsin the corporate companies.

In the same manner that cor-porations could invest in any

continued on page 4


Kakampi mo ang Batas ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO

Ang paglabag sa bouncing check lawTANONG: 1. Mayroon akong checksna worth 4 million plus na lampas nang apat na taon. Mayroon pa baakong remedy para makasingil? I amwilling to give 1/2 to your batas partyfor whatever amount will be collected(issuer still in the country). 2.Mayroon din na 1.2 million na vari-ous checks na wala pang 4 yearsmatutulungan mo kaya ako Atty? (Is-suer is in the U.S.A.)

—[email protected]: Salamat po sa e-mail na

ito. Sa unang tanong, kailangan ponating malaman kung ang mgatsekeng worth Php 4 Million plus aytumalbog na sa ngayon, at kung angpagtalbog na ito ay naganap sa loobng apat na taon mula sa petsangnakasaad doon. Kung ang sagot aynapatalbog na ang mga tsekeng itoat naganap ang pagtalbog na ito saloob ng apat na taon mula sa petsangnakasaad sa mga tseke, at lagpas naang apat na taon na ito sa ngayon,hindi na maaari pang magsampa angtinalbugan ng kasong Batas Pam-bansa Blg. 22 o paglabag sa bouncingchecks law. Paso na kasi ang ka-rapatan ng isang tinalbugan ng tsekena magsampa ng kasong BP 22 kunglumagpas na ang apat na taon mulasa pagkakatalbog ng mga tseke.

Sa kabilang dako, depende sa mgapangyayari, at bagamat hindi napupuwede pang magsampa ng kasongBP 22 ang tinalbugan ng tseke dahillumipas na ang apat na taon mula sapagkakatalbog, maaari pa din namansiyang magsampa ng kasong estafa,sa ilalim ng Art. 315 ng Revised Pe-nal Code ng Pilipinas.

Ang kasong estafa ay mapapaso saloob ng sampung taon mula sa pagka-katalbog ng tseke. Kaya lamang,kailangang mapatunayan ng na-patalbugan na ang tseke ay ibinayadkasabay ng utang ang naganap sanagbayad ng tseke at nang binayarannito, o di kaya, ay kasabay ng pag-kakabili ng isang bagay na binayaranng tseke. Sa kabilang dako, kunghindi na pupuwede ang kasongestafa, maaari pa din namang mag-sampa ng kasong sibil ang tinalbuganng tseke. Mayroong sampung taondin ang natalbugan ng tseke paramagsampa ng civil case for collection

of a sum of money.Sa kasong wala pang apat na taon

ang nakakalipas, maaaring masam-pahan pa rin ng kasong BP 22, estafao kasong sibil ang taong nagpatalbogng tseke, kahit na ang nagpatalbogay wala na sa bansang ito. Anghahabulin na lamang ay ang kanyangmga ari-ariang nandidito pa sa bansa.Isumbong ang magnanakaw ng kuryenteTANONG: Good day Atty Batas! Akopo ay si A. C. (ibinigay ang pangalanpero hindi na namin inilabas for se-curity reasons—Atty. Batas), 22 yearsold currently residing in Cainta,Rizal, I’m working as an agent saisang callcenter gusto ko po sanangmaging miyembro ng BATAS PartyList lalo na at nabalita po ni Atty.Leny Mauricio na naaccredit na pong Comelec ang BATAS Party List,alam ko po na maraming matu-tulungang mga trabahador angpartylist sana naman po mabigyan ngpansin ang contractualization kasi popinapatanda lang po kami noon atpagdating po na may edad na kamidi wala nang tatanggap sa amin.

Alam niyo po ba ang mga mam-babatas na nagpanukala ng contrac-tualization at kung kumakandidatosila sa ngayon ikakampanya ko nahuwag silang iboto, meron din po palaakong gustong ipatawag ng pansin sainyo dahil nakita ko po sa bill ngMeralco na ‘yun palang mga iligal naconnection ng kuryente ay tayo angnagbabayad.

Meron po kasi dito sa amin nailligal na kuryente na ginagamit sabasketball court anlalaki pa namanng ilaw na ginagamit at simula po ng6pm hanggang madaling araw kahitwala nang naglalaro ay nakabukas parin, kung mabibigyan niyo po ngpansin ang location po nito ay sa Pag-Ibig Homes, San Andres, Cainta,Rizal. Basketball court po ito na angilaw ay nakatap sa poste na tapat ngbasketball court, ang daan po sa aminay along Sandoval Avenue sa maypinagbuhatan, Pasig City, malapit pokami sa greenwoods subdivisionkatabi ng Villa Alegre Subd. at nasalikod naman kami ng ChristinaHomes.

Sana po ay maipagbigay pansin

Ang Paskoni Nida

NI PEFECTO V. RAYMUNDO

Sa harap ng hukom, kiming nakatayoAng kawawang batang mata’y namumugto

Sa bukas ng mukha ay mapagtatantoNa hirap ang kanyang laging kalaro

Ano ang ngalan mo? simula ng hukomNida de Villa po, ang mahina niyang tugon

Totoo ba, Nida, ang kanilang sumbong?Na ika’y nagnakaw ng sanlatang salmon?

Tumango si Nida, saka nagsalaysay,Opo, totoo nga ang kanilang sakdal

Nagnakaw po ako, sa nasang mabigyanNg pantawid-gutom ang ina kong mahal

‘Di man tinatanong ang mahal kong inaSa pagkakaratay ay buto’t balat na

Wala na rin akong mapagpalang amaUpang tumangkilik sa aming dalawa.

Kaya kung tunay man na labag sa batasSa pagnanakaw po ako ay nangahas

Magdusa man ako’y magiging matimyasHuwag lang mamatay ang ina kong liyagSa gayong salaysay ng kawawang bata

Sa mata ng hukom namuo ang luhaIbig parusaha’y nagdadalang awa

Habag ang namahay sa puso at diwaAt ang kanyang wika, pagka’t ngayo’y Pasko

Araw ng pagsilang ni Hesus sa mundoSa iyong nagawa ang igagawad koAy pagpapatawad sa kasalanan moKaya humayo ka, umuwi ka, ineng

Ang salmong kinuha’y iyo na ring dalhinI-aginaldo mo sa inang may sakit

Nang ang kanyang puso ay magtamong aliw.Nang ito’y marinig ng abang si Nida

Kinipkip ang salmo’t lumisan pagdakaSaksing naroroo’y hindi alintana

Ang laman ng puso’y ang inang may dusaSubalit nang sa bahay siya’y mapanhikNanlisik ang mata sa kanyang namasid

Paano’y ang kanyang inang iniwang may sakitMalamig nang bangkay nang siya’y magbalik

Sa mariing dagok ng sama ng loobSa dibdib ng bangkay siya’y napalugmok

Diyos ko! Diyos ko! Ang kanyang himutokKay pait ng Paskong iyong inihandog.

— Ang tulang ito ay unang inilimbag sa sipi ngMabuhay noong Disyembre 19, 1999.

niyo sa Meralco dahil nagsasawa napo ako nang katatawag sa Meralco aywala pong nangyayari alam ko pongsa pamamagitan niyo ay mabibigyanng pansin ito, salamat po at pagpalainnawa kayo ng Panginoon at ang lahatng miyembro ng BATAS Party List–[email protected]

Sagot: Mr. A.C. maraming sa-lamat po sa e-mail na ito. Salamat dinat nais ninyong maging miyembro ngBATAS Party List, o ang BagongAlyansang Tagapagtaguyod ng Adhi-kaing Sambayanan. Sana po aykumbinsihin din ninyo ang inyongmga kapamilya, kamag-anak, kai-bigan at mga kakilala na sumapi atsumuporta din sa BATAS Party List.Kung kanilang mamarapatin, mang-yaring ipadala na din nila sa amin angkanilang mga pangalan at mga ad-dresses, at maging ang kanilang mgalugar at petsa ng kapanganakan.Maipapadala nila ang mga impor-masyong ito sa kanilang pagkataodito sa aming cellular line, 0917-984-24-68, o sa aming website,www.batasnews.com, o sa aming e-mailaddresses, [email protected].

Sa inyo pong problema, hayaan poninyo at idudulog po namin sa Me-ralco ang inyong sumbong. Kaya pohindi namin inilagay ang lahat nginyong pangalan ay upang panga-lagaan ang inyong seguridad atkaligtasan. Makakaasa po kayo naipararating namin ang ganitong mgahinaing sapagkat tayo pong lahat angnaapektuhan sa mga pagnanakaw sakuryente, sapagkat tayong lahat angnagbabayad ng mga ito.

Maaari rin kayong mag-e-mail saamin sa website na ito:

— www.batasmauricio.com o— [email protected].

* * *BATAS RADIO: Pakinggan po angBATAS INTERNET RADIO, isangInternet radio station sa ilalim ngdalawang website, ang www.batas-mauricio.com at ang www.eradio-portal.com. Pumasok po kayo saalinman sa dalawang sites na ito, i-click ang BATAS RADIO, at mapapa-kinggan na ninyo kami sa loob ng 20oras sa isang araw, mula alas 4 ngmadaling araw hanggang alas dose nghatinggabi.

NI LAZARO LOGO

MAHIGIT dalawang libong taon na ang nakalilipasnang isilang sa mundo ang anak ng Diyos. Mula noonhanggang ngayon ay hindi nagbabago ang mga winikang anghel: “Papuri sa Diyos sa kaitaasan at sa lupa’ykapayapaan sa mga taong may mabuting kalooban.”

Lagi rin ang kapayapaan ang bati ng PanginoongHesus noong siya’y muling mabuhay. Gayundin sabawat banal na misang ginaganap sa lahat ngsimbahang Katoliko sa buong mundo. Mula sapagsikat hanggang sa paglubog ng araw, maramingulit na ito ay binanggit ng mga paring nagmimisabilang mga saserdoteng kinatawan ng PanginoongHesus sa itinatag niyang simbahan. Ang tangingsimbahang pinaglagakan ng mga sakramentongnangangalaga sa kabanalan ng mga tao at bibigyanng karapatang makapagpatawad ng kasalanan dito palamang sa lupa.

Ang Diyos ay hindi nagbabago. Siya ang nakaraan,ang kasalukuyan at magpasawalang-hanggan. Atsinasabing hindi man niya nilalang ang lahat ng bagay,maging ang tao, ay walang mababawas sa kanyangpagka-Diyos. Ang lahat ay bunga ng kanyang pag-mamahal. Lalo na sa atin na nilakipan niya ng walangkamatayang espiritu, ang ating kaluluwa.

Ang Pasko ay kapayapaan. Saan mang kalagayantayo naroon, kung payapa ang ating kalooban ay tunayna nananahan doon ang Diyos. Kung natatanggapnatin ang walang katapusang biyaya na kanyang

Ang Pasko ay kapayapaankaloob anuman iyon, payapa tayo. Ang masama aytumitingin tayo sa iba at kadalasan, ito ang sumisirasa kapayapaan ng ating kalooban.

Pumasok sa ating puso ang hibo ng pagka-inggitat pakikipagpataasan. At bunga ng ating kahinaangito, kung minsan ay sinisisi pa natin ang Diyos.Nagtatampo tayo sa halip na magpasalamat sa mgabiyayang patuloy niyang ibinibigay sa atin. Una ayang ating buhay at sa ating makabuluhang pag-iralsa daigdig na ito.

Kaya sa panahong ito, ano man ang ating kalagayansa buhay, sulyapan natin ang Belen. Sikapin natingmadama ang kapayapaang hatid ng Unang Pamilya— sina Hesus, Maria at Jose, na sagisag ng walanghanggang pagmamahal ng Diyos. Namuhay din silasa daigdig na ito na tulad natin at payapa silangnakabalik sa Diyos ng buong kalinisan. Naranasan dinnila ang mamuhay sa gitna ng mga pagsubok ng mun-dong ito at naipakita nila kung paano magtatagumpayupang makabalik sa Diyos — sa tunay nating tahanan.Pagkatapos, papasukin natin ang Niño Hesus sa atingpayapang puso. Idalangin natin na manatili siya roonhanggang sa wakas ng ating buhay.

Sa mga kasama sa pamamahayag, sa ating pat-nugutan at sa lahat, lalo na sa may malalaking pusona patuloy sa pagsisikap upang lalong umunlad angating Mabuhay, nawa’y sumaatin ang tunay nakapayapaang dulot ng Kapaskuhan.

— Mula sa kolum na Lathalain Pambarangay ni LazaroLogo sa sipi ng Mabuhay noong Disyembre 22, 1996.

business of their choice, cooperatives too could invest inany business and could provide any service, as long asthey are licensed to do so, just like the corporations. It isbecause of this reason that many cooperatives have gradu-ated from the usual model of operating grocery storesand canteen concessions, and are now into more profit-able and more respectable businesses, so to speak.

How could the cooperative movement become a forcein national development? Looking at the broad side, co-operatives are somehow in the middle of the corporationsthat are offering high priced services with high value butare beyond the reach of the mainstream market, and thegovernment agencies that are offering services that arefree, but have low value. In other words, cooperativeshave a built-in niche market for services with low pricesbut have high values.

For example, some cooperatives are now operatingprimary and secondary schools that have better qualitythan the public schools, but are charging lower than theother private schools. And of course, the parents who arealso the members could have the added benefit of earn-ing patronage rebates from the expenses, aside from thedividends that they would get.

Basing it on the good experiences of the cooperativesin the education business so far, it would be a good ideafor cooperatives to run clinics and hospitals as well, fol-lowing the same idea of providing high value services withlow prices, and with rebates and dividends to boot. Wouldthis not totally bring down the costs of health care? Ofcourse, they could also run their own drugstores, therebybringing down the costs of medicines too.

Being in the technical field, I am now making it mymission to provide affordable technologies to the coop-eratives that would enhance their business one way orthe other. We are starting with the provision of direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV services, and we are now liningup other technologies such as wireless point-of-sale (POS)terminals. The sum total of technologies that we will de-liver will hopefully spell a new future not only for thecooperatives, but also for the whole country as well.

* * *Watch my TV show “Bears & Bulls”, a daily coverage of the

Philippine Stock Exchange. 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in Global NewsNetwork. E-mail [email protected] or text +639293605140for local cable listings.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Fair & Square from page 3

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Magboluntaryo• Manindigan• MagbantayNalalapit na naman ang halalan at alam nating palaging sinasabing may dayaan sagawaing ito. Totoo man o hindi ang dayaan kung halalan, ang mga alegasyong ito aypatuloy na nagpapababa sa pananaw ng bawat isa sa atin sa sagradong gawaing itona siyang bunga ng demokrasya.

Dahil dito, kami sa MabuhayMabuhayMabuhayMabuhayMabuhay ay nananawagan sa inyo na makiisa, makipagtulungan,maging responsable, at magboluntaryo sa pagbabantay ng mga balota sa panahonng halalan hindi lamang upang matiyak ang panalo ng karapat-dapat, kungdi upangmatiyak natin na hindi mabibigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga mandaraya atmagnanakaw ng boto na nagnanais dungisan ang bilang ng mga botong sagrado.


Republic Of The PhilippinesRegional Trial Court Of Bulacan

Third Judicial RegionOffice Of The Ex-officio Sheriff

Malolos City, Bulacan

GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCESYSTEM (GSIS),

Mortgagee,-VERSUS-TERESITA R. CLARIN

Mortgagor/s,x------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by GOV-ERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM (GSIS), with principal office addressat GSIS Headquarters Building, Financial Center Area, Pasay City, the mort-gagee, against TERESITA R. CLARIN with postal address at Lot 20, Blk. 10,Gardenbreeze Subd., Brgy. Maguinao, San Rafael, Bulacan and/or 2517 PaulinoSt. Balut, Tondo, Manila, the mortgagor/s, to satisfy the mortgage indebted-ness which as of September 20, 2009 amounts to ONE MILLION SIXTY SEVENTHOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY NINE PESOS and 69/100(P1,067,779.69), Philippine Currency, including/excluding interest, penalties,attorney’s fees, foreclosure fees and other expenses incurred thereon, all se-cured by real estate mortgage and such other amount become due and pay-able to the aforementioned mortgagee. The Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan thruthe undersigned Sheriff hereby gives notice to all interested parties and to thepublic in general that on January 12, 2010 at 10:00 o’ clock in the morning orsoon thereafter, infront of the Office of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan locatedat the back of the Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Provincial Capitol Compound,Malolos, Bulacan, will selI at public auction thru sealed bidding, to the highestbidder for CASH, Philippine Currency, the real property/ies below together withall the improvements existing thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-195349“A parcel of land (Lot 25, Blk.10 of the cons. subd. plan Pcs-03-007605 being aportion of cons. 1173-A to 1173-E (LRA) Psd-320289, LRC Rec. No. ), situatedin the Bo. of Maguinao, Mun. of San Rafael, Prov. of Bulacan. Bounded on theNE., along line 1-2 by Lot 27 Blk. 10, along line 2-3 by Road lot 8; xxx containingan area of One hundred twenty Seven (127) SQ. Meters. xxx”

This NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE will be posted for a period of twenty (20)days in three (3) of the most conspicuous public places in the municipalitywhere the subject property is located and at Malolos City, Bulacan where thesale shall take place, and likewise a copy will be published for the same periodin the MABUHAY a newspaper of general circulation in the province of Bulacan,once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks before the date of auction sale.

ALL SEALED BIDS with its accompanying transmittal letter addressed tothis office must be submitted to the undersigned on or before above stateddate and hour at which time all sealed bids thus submitted shall be opened.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date, itshall be held on January 19, 2010 without further notice.

Prospective bidders or buyers are hereby enjoined to investigatefor themselves the title to the property and the encumbrances thereonif any there be.

Malolos City, Bulacan, December 2, 2009.

EMMANUEL L. ORTEGAEx-Officio Sheriff

BY: DONATO C. BUENAVENTURA Sheriff IV

Copy furnished:– GSIS– TERESITA R. CLARIN

Mabuhay: December 4, 11 & 18, 2009

EJF NO. G-54-2009

EXTRA-JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE OF REAL ESTATE PROPERTY/IES

UNDER ACT NO. 3135AS AMENDED BY ACT 4118





Mortgagee,-VERSUS-EVANGELINE G. RAGUINE m/to MARIORAGUINE

Mortgagor/s,x------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by GOV-ERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM (GSIS), with principal office addressat GSIS Headquar ters Building, Financial Center Area, Pasay City, againstEVANGELINE G. RAGUINE m/to MARIO RAGUINE, the mortgagor/s, with postaladdress at Lot 2, Blk. 5, Gardenbreeze Subd., San Rafael, Bulacan Province,3008 and/or Lot 21, Blk. 21 Kalayaan Village, Pasay City, the mortgagors tosatisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of August 31, 2009 amounts toFIVE HUNDRED THIRTY THREE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED NINETY NINEPESOS & 67/100 (P533,399.67) Philippine Currency, including/excluding in-terest, penalties and charges thereon, including/excluding __% of the totalindebtedness by way of Attorney’s fees, plus daily interest and expenses there-after, also secured by said mortgage and such other amount which may be-come and payable to the aforementioned mortgagee. The Ex-Officio Sheriff ofBulacan thru the undersigned Sheriff hereby gives notice to all interested par-ties and to the public in general that on JANUARY 12, 2010 at 10:00 A.M., orsoon thereafter infront of the Office of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan locatedat the back of the Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Provincial Capitol Compound,Malolos, Bulacan, will selI at public auction thru sealed bidding, to the highestbidder for CASH, Philippine Currency, the real property/ies below together withall the improvements existing thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-178279“A parcel of land (Lot 2, Blk.5 of the cons. subd. plan Pcs-03-007605 being aportion of consolidated lots 1173-A to 1173-E (LRC) Psd-320289 LRC Rec.No.), situated in the Bo. of Maguinao, Mun. of San Rafael, Prov. of Bulacan.xxxcontaining an area of EIGHTY THREE (83.00) Sq. Meters more or less. xxx”

This NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE will be posted for a period of twenty (20)days in three (3) of the most conspicuous public places in the municipalitywhere the subject property is located and at Malolos City of Bulacan where thesale shall take place, and likewise a copy will be published for the same periodin the MABUHAY a newspaper of general circulation in the province of Bulacan,once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks before the date of auction sale.






BY: ALEXANDER A. GIRON Sheriff IV

Copy furnished:– GSIS– EVAGELINE G. RAGUINE m/to MARIO RAGUINE


EJF NO. G-64-2009







Mortgagee,-VERSUS-MA. ERLINDA M. VILLANUEVA m/toFRANCISCO VILLANUEVA

Mortgagor/s,x------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by GOV-ERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM (GSIS), with principal office addressat GSIS Headquarters Building, Financial Center Area, Pasay City, against Ma.ERLINDA M. VILLANUEVA M/TO FRANCISCO VILLANUEVA, the mortgagor/s,with postal address at Lot 34, Blk. 3, Gardenbreeze Subd., Brgy. Maasim, SanRafael, Bulacan and/or 1430 Instruccion St., Sampaloc, Manila, the mortgag-ors to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of August 31, 2009 amountsto EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTY TWO THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED NINETY FOURPESOS & 01/100 (P832,294.01) Philippine Currency, including/excluding in-terest, penalties and charges thereon, including/excluding 10% of the totalindebtedness by way of Attorney’s fees, plus daily interest and expenses there-after, also secured by said mortgage and such other amount which may be-come and payable to the aforementioned mortgagee. The Ex-Officio Sheriff ofBulacan thru the undersigned Sheriff hereby gives notice to all interested par-ties and to the public in general that on JANUARY 12, 2010 at 10:00 A.M., orsoon thereafter infront of the Office of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan locatedat the back of the Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Provincial Capitol Compound,Malolos, Bulacan, will selI at public auction thru sealed bidding, to the highestbidder for CASH, Philippine Currency, the real property/ies below together withall the improvements existing thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-178279“A parcel of land (Lot 34, Blk. 3 of the cons. subd. plan Pcs-03-007605 being aportion of consolidated lots 1173-A to 1173-E (LRA) Psd-320389 LRC Rec.No.), situated in the Bo. of Maguinao, Mun. of San Rafael, Prov. of Bulacan.xxxcontaining an area of NINETY FIVE (95.00) Sq. Meters more or less. xxx”







BY: OSMANDO C. BUENAVENTURA Sheriff IV

Copy furnished:– GSIS– MA. ERLINDA M. VILLANUEVA m/to FRANCISCO VILLANUEVA


EJF NO. G-29-2009







Mortgagee,-VERSUS-SPS. BENITO B. GIRON &GREGORIA R. GIRON

Mortgagor/s,x------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by GOV-ERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM (GSIS), with principal office addressat GSIS Headquarters Building, Financial Center Area, Pasay City, against SPS.BENITO B. GIRON & GREGORIA R. GIRON, the mortgagor/s, with postal ad-dress at Lot 10, Blk. 3, RDLG Subd., Hagonoy, Bulacan and/or J. P. Rizal St.San Sebastian, Hagonoy, Bulacan, the mortgagors to satisfy the mortgageindebtedness which as of August 31, 2009 amounts to THREE HUNDREDTWENTY FIVE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED FOURTY TWO PESOS & 69/100(P325,442.69) Philippine Currency, including/excluding interest, penalties andcharges thereon, including/excluding 10% of the total indebtedness by way ofAttorney’s fees, plus daily interest and expenses thereafter, also secured bysaid mortgage and such other amount which may become and payable to theaforementioned mortgagee. The Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan thru the under-signed Sheriff hereby gives notice to all interested parties and to the public ingeneral that on JANUARY 12, 2010 at 10:00 A.M., or soon thereafter infront ofthe Office of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan located at the back of the Bulwaganng Katarungan, Provincial Capitol Compound, Malolos, Bulacan, will selI atpublic auction thru sealed bidding, to the highest bidder for CASH, PhilippineCurrency, the real property/ies below together with all the improvements ex-isting thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-68451“A parcel of land (Lot 10, Blk. 3 of the cons. subd. plan Pcs-03-003707 being aportion of consolidated lots 1-A to 1-X (LRC), Psd-211580, Lots 401,404,1946and 1947. Hagonoy Cad., L.R.C. Rec. No.), situated in the Bo. of Sto. Nino andSan Sebastian, Mun. of Hagonoy, Prov. of Bulacan.xxx containing an area of ONEHUNDRED FIFTY (150.00) Sq. Meters more or less. xxx”







BY: RUFINO DJ. SANTIAGO Sheriff IV

Copy furnished:– GSIS– SPS. BENITO B. GIRON & GREGORIA R. GIRON


EJF NO. G-49-2009







Mortgagee,-VERSUS-CLODUALDO B. ALDABA m/toLETICIA Z. ALDABA

Mortgagor/s,x------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by GOV-ERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM (GSIS), with principal office addressat GSIS Headquar ters Building, Financial Center Area, Pasay City, againstCLODUALDO B. ALDABA M/TO LETICIA Z. ALDABA, the mortgagor/s, withpostal address at Caingin, Bocaue, Bulacan, the mortgagors to satisfy themortgage indebtedness which as of August 31, 2009 amounts to THREE HUN-DRED THIRTY THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED SIXTY FOUR PESOS & 23/100(P330,364.23) Philippine Currency, including/excluding interest, penalties andcharges thereon, including/excluding 10% of the total indebtedness by way ofAttorney’s fees, plus daily interest and expenses thereafter, also secured bysaid mortgage and such other amount which may become and payable to theaforementioned mortgagee. The Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan thru the under-signed Sheriff hereby gives notice to all interested parties and to the public ingeneral that on JANUARY 12, 2010 at 10:00 A.M., or soon thereafter infront ofthe Office of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan located at the back of the Bulwaganng Katarungan, Provincial Capitol Compound, Malolos, Bulacan, will selI atpublic auction thru sealed bidding, to the highest bidder for CASH, PhilippineCurrency, the real property/ies below together with all the improvements ex-isting thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-150992“A parcel of land (Lot 10, Blk. 2 of the cons. subd. plan Psd-68656, being aportion of Lot 1748 of the cadastral survey of Bocaue, L.R.C. Rec. No. N-30530),situated in the Bo. of Caingin, Mun. of Bocaue, Prov. of Bulacan. Island of Luzon.xxx containing an area of TWO HUNDRED TEN (210) Sq. Meters more or less.xxx”







BY: JUNIE JOVENCIO G. IPAC Sheriff IV

Copy furnished:– GSIS– CLODUALDO B. ALDABA M/TO LETICIA Z. ALDABAMabuhay: December 4, 11 & 18, 2009

EJF NO. G-13-2009







Mortgagee,-VERSUS-MARIA BRENDA N. DELA CRUZ

Mortgagor/s,

x------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by GOV-ERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM (GSIS), with principal office addressat GSIS Headquarters Building, Financial Center Area, Pasay City, against MariaBRENDA N. DELA CRUZ, the mortgagor/s, with postal address at Caingin,Bocaue, Bulacan, the mortgagors to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness whichas of August 31, 2009 amounts to TWO MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED THIRTEENTHOUSAND SIX HUNDRED TWELVE PESOS & 81/100 (P2,713,612.81) Phil-ippine Currency, including/excluding interest, penalties and charges thereon,including/excluding 10% of the total indebtedness by way of Attorney’s fees,plus daily interest and expenses thereafter, also secured by said mortgage andsuch other amount which may become and payable to the aforementionedmortgagee. The Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan thru the undersigned Sheriff herebygives notice to all interested parties and to the public in general that on JANU-ARY 12, 2010 at 10:00 A.M., or soon thereafter infront of the Office of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan located at the back of the Bulwagan ng Katarungan,Provincial Capitol Compound, Malolos, Bulacan, will selI at public auction thrusealed bidding, to the highest bidder for CASH, Philippine Currency, the realproperty/ies below together with all the improvements existing thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-177317“A parcel of land (Lot 7-A, of the subd. plan Psd-03-126175, being a portion ofLot 7, Block 7, Pcs-031410-005191 L.R.C. Rec. No. ), situated in the Bo. ofMojon, Mun. of Malolos, Prov. of Bulacan. Island of Luzon. xxx containing anarea of ONE HUNDRED TWENTY (120) Sq. Meters more or less. xxx”







BY: EDRIC C. ESTRADA Sheriff IV

Copy furnished:– GSIS– MARIA BRENDA N. DELA CRUZ


EJF NO. G-16-2009








Mortgagee,-VERSUS-

ALBINO T. MANAPAT, JR.,Mortgagor/s,

x------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by GOV-ERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM (GSIS), with principal office addressat GSIS Headquarters Building, Financial Center Area, Pasay City, against AL-BINO T. MANAPAT, JR. with postal address Lot 13 Blk.1, Brgy. Tabe, Guiguinto,Bulacan and/or 138 Liang St., Malolos City, Bulacan, the mortgagor, to satisfythe mortgage indebtedness which as of August 31, 2009 amount of SIX HUN-DRED FIFTY ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED SIXTY SEVEN PESOS and FIFTYFOUR CENTAVOS (651,167.54) Philippine Currency, including/excluding inter-est, penalties and charges thereon, including/excluding 10% of the total in-debtedness by way of Attorney’s fees, plus daily interest and expenses there-after, also secured by said mortgage and such other amount which may be-come and payable to the aforementioned mortgagee. The Ex-Officio Sheriff ofBulacan thru the undersigned Sheriff hereby gives notice to all interested par-ties and to the public in general that on JANUARY 12, 2010 at 10:00 A.M., orsoon thereafter infront of the Office of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan locatedat the back of the Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Provincial Capitol Compound,Malolos, Bulacan, will selI at public auction thru sealed bidding, to the highestbidder for CASH, Philippine Currency, the real property/ies below together withall the improvements existing thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-75810“A parcel of land (lot13 Block 1 the cons. and subd. plan Pcs-03-006223 beinga portion of the consolidated Block 6, Psd-03-011648 and Lot 5-E-8-B-2-B,(LRC) Psd-221273), L.R.C. Rec. No ), situated in the Barrio of Tabe , Mun. ofGuiguinto, Prov.of Bulacan x x x containing an area of SIXTY (60) SQ. METERS. xx x.”







BY: ALVIN G. PADILLA Sheriff IV

Copy furnished:– GSIS– ALBINO T. MANAPAT, JR.Mabuhay: December 4, 11 & 18, 2009

EJF NO. G-37-2009



EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATEWITH AUTHORITY TO SELL

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the deceased Sps. Mauro N.Dominguez who died on May 17, 2007 and Emiliana H. Dominguezwho died on December 30, 1981 left a property situated in Diliman,Quezon City covered by Transfer Certificate of Title No. 234908 andTransfer Certificate of Title No. 153386 situated in Bo. of San Dionisio,Paranaque, Rizal was extrajudicially settled among legitimate heirs withauthority to sell as per Doc. No. 08; Page No. 02; Book No. 117; Seriesof 2009 in the Notarial Registry of Atty. Jose M. Cruz.Mabuhay: December 4, 11 & 18, 2009




RURAL BANK OF SAN RAFAEL(BULACAN) INC.,

Mortgagee,

-VERSUS-

RODRIGO VALMOCENA m/toMELITA VALMOCENA,

Mortgagor,

x------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended by Act4118, filed by RURAL BANK OF SAN RAFAEL (BULACAN) INC., withaddress at Cruz na Daan, San Rafael, Bulacan and S-831, 8th MegaPlaza Bldg., ADB Ave., Cor. Garnet Rd. Ortigas Center, Pasig City, againstRODRIGO VALMOCENA M/TO MELITA VALMOCENA, with residenceand postal address at Maronquillo, San Rafael, Bulacan, the mortgagorto satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of May 15, 2009amounts to THREE HUNDRED ELEVEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDREDSIXTY SIX PESOS AND 82/100 (P311,766.82), PHILIPPINE CURRENCY,including/excluding interest, penalties and charges thereon, including/excluding __% of the total indebtedness by way of Attorney’s fees,plus daily interest and expenses thereafter, also secured by said mort-gage and such other amount which may become and payable to theaforementioned mortgagee. The Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan thru theundersigned Sheriff hereby gives notice to all interested parties and tothe public in general that on January 12, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. or soonthereafter infront of the Office of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan lo-cated at the back of the Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Provincial CapitolCompound, Malolos, Bulacan, will selI at public auction thru sealedbidding, to the highest bidder in Cash and in Philippine Currency, thedescribed real property/ies below together with all the improvementsexisting thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-30298“A parcel of land (Lot 1246-C of the subd., plan Psd-031422-

049382, being a portion of Lot 1246, Cad.,319-D, San Rafael Cad.,LRC Rec. No.), situated in the Barrio of Maronquillo, Municipality ofSan Rafael, Prov. of Bulacan. xxx containing an area of THIRTY THOU-SAND (30,000) SQUARE METERS. xxx”

This NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE will be posted for a period oftwenty (20) days in three (3) of the most conspicuous public places inthe municipality where the subject property is located and at MalolosCity of Bulacan where the sale shall take place, and likewise a copy willbe published for the same period in the MABUHAY a newspaper ofgeneral circulation in the province of Bulacan, once a week for three(3) consecutive weeks before the date of auction sale.

ALL SEALED BIDS with its accompanying transmittal letter ad-dressed to this office must be submitted to the undersigned on orbefore above stated date and hour at which time all sealed bids thussubmitted shall be opened.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the saiddate, it shall be held on January 19, 2010 without further notice.



EMMANUEL L. ORTEGA

Ex-Officio Sheriff

BY: ALEXANDER A. GIRON

Sheriff IVCopy furnished: All parties concernedMabuhay: December 4, 11 &18, 2009

EJF NO. 318-2009







Mortgagee,-VERSUS-ANITA A. PINCA,

Mortgagor/s,x------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by GOV-ERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM (GSIS), with principal office addressat GSIS Headquarters Building, Financial Center Area, Pasay City, the mort-gagee, against ANITA A. PINCA with postal address at Lot 4, Blk. 11,Gardenbreeze Subd., San Rafael, Bulacan and/or 7 Garnet, Mary Homes,Zabarte, Caloocan City, the mortgagor, to satisfy the mortgage indebtednesswhich as of September 20, 2009 amounts to NINE HUNDRED SIXTY THOU-SAND SEVEN HUNDRED NINETY EIGHT PESOS and 07/100 (P960,798.07),Philippine Currency, inclusive of accrued thereon of the total indebtednessand penalty charges thereafter to date of foreclosure sale plus daily interestand expenses thereafter, also secured by said mortgagee, and such otheramount which may become due and payable to the aforementioned mort-gagee. The Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan thru the undersigned Sheriff herebygives notice to all interested parties and to the public in general that on Janu-ary 12, 2010 at 10:00 o’ clock in the morning or soon thereafter, infront of theOffice of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan located at the back of the Bulwaganng Katarungan, Provincial Capitol Compound, Malolos, Bulacan, will selI atpublic auction thru sealed bidding, to the highest bidder for CASH, PhilippineCurrency, the real property/ies below together with all the improvements ex-isting thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-200306“A parcel of land (Lot 4, Blk.11 of the cons. subd. plan Pcs-03-007605 being aportion of cons. 1173-A to 1173-E (LRA) Psd-320289, LRC Rec. No. ), situatedin the Bo. of Maguinao, Mun. of San Rafael, Prov. of Bulacan. xxx containing anarea of NINETY SIX (96) SQ. Meters. xxx”

This NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE will be posted for a period of twenty (20)days in three (3) of the most conspicuous public places in the municipalitywhere the subject property is located and at Malolos City, Bulacan where thesale shall take place, and likewise a copy will be published for the same periodin the MABUHAY a newspaper of general circulation in the province of Bulacan,once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks before the date of auction sale.






BY: GODOFREDO C. VILLARENTE Sheriff IV

Copy furnished:– GSIS– ANITA A. PINCA


EJF NO. G-45-2009



REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESREGIONAL TRIAL COURTTHIRD JUDICIAL REGIONMALOLOS CITY, BULACAN

BRANCH 20

SP. PROC. NO. 276-M-2009

IN RE: IN THE MATTER OF THE CORRECTIONOF ENTRY IN THE CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTHOF MARVIE C. SAN JOSE IN THE ENTRY OFHER FIRST NAME “MARVIN” TO “MARVIE”AND GENDER FROM “MALE” TO “FEMALE”

MARVIE C. SAN JOSE,Petitioner,

-VERSUS-

THE CIVIL REGISTRAT OF GUIGUINTO,BULACAN AND ALL PERSONS WHO HAVE ANADVERSE INTEREST WITH THAT OFPETITIONER

Respondents.

X———————————X

ORDERA verified petition dated November 9, 2009 has been filed by petitioner,praying that, after due notice, publication and hearing, judgment berendered ordering the Local Civil Registrar of Guiguinto, Bulacan, tocorrect the entries in the Certificate of Birth of Marvie C. San Jose withrespect to her first name from “Marvin” to “Marvie” and gender from“male” to “female”.

It appearing that the petition is sufficient in form and substance,the same is hereby set for hearing on January 26, 2010, at 8:30 a.m.at the Bulawagan ng Katarungan II, Regional Trial Court, Branch 20,Malolos City, Bulacan.

Let a copy of this order be published, at the expense of the peti-tioner, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, prior to the dateof hearing, in a newspaper of general circulation in the Province ofBulacan.

Let copies of this order be posted, at the expense of the peti-tioner, at least three (3) weeks prior to the date of hearing, in three (3)conspicuous public places; at the main entrance of the Bulacan Pro-vincial Captiol Building, at the Municipal Hall of Guiguinto, Bulacan,and at the door of the courtroom of this Court.

The Civil Registrar of Guiguinto, Bulacan and any person havingor claiming any interest under the entries whose correction is soughtmay, within fifteen (15) days from notice of the petition, file an opposi-tion thereto, conformably with Section 5, Rule 108 of the Revised Rulesof Court.

Furnish copies of this Order to the counsel of the petitioner andto the Civil Registrar of Guiguinto, Bulacan.

The petitioner is also directed to furnish copies of the petition tothe Office of the Solicitor General, and submit proof of complianceherewith within ten (10) days from receipt of a copy of this Order.

SO ORDERED.Malolos City, Bulacan, November 23, 2009

Oscar C. Herrera, Jr.Judge


sinabi niya,” Lord, ito na lang po, ito na lang katabi ko.”Sabay turo sa nagulat na katabi.

* * *Marami namang pulitiko ang nagtatago ngayong

magpa-Pasko, dahil sa opisyal na silang mga kandidato,ang tingin sa kanila ng mga botante ay “Santa Claus.”

Isa sa kanila ay kandidatong bokal na dati aynapakagandang ngumiti sa mga tao, pero ngayon aynakasimangot na.

* * *Isang kandidato naman bilang alkalde ng isang

lungsod sa Bulacan ang pilit na nagpapapogi sa mgamamamahayag.

Isang gabi, inimbita niya ang maraming mama-mahayag sa isang Christmas party, at doon ay bumahang pina-raffle na mga appliances. Sabi ng isangmamamahayag, daig pa daw ng kandidatong mayor angbagyong Ondoy sa dami ng pinabahang raffle items.

* * *Kung mayroong galante, mayroon ding daig pa ang

belekoy sa kunat. Isang halimbawa ay isa pang kandidatosa pagka-alkalde sa isa pang lungsod sa lalawigan.

Sa sobrang kunat niya, maging mga simpleng tulongtulad ng payong legal at panawagan ng mga ma-mamahayag para tulungan sa panahon ng mga pag-babanta ay hindi napagbigyan.

* * *Sa kabila ng krisis pang ekonomiya, marami pa ring

Bulakenyo ang naglagay ng mga pamaskong dekorasyonsa kanilang bahay. Karaniwan sa mga ito ay mga Christ-mas lights.

Kaso, sa dami ng Christmas light na isinabit ng iba,hindi malaman kung kaarawan ng Mesiyas ang kanilangipinagdiriwang o foundation day ng Meralco.

* * *Maliwanag din ang ilaw ng may 52 talampakang

Christmas tree sa harap ng kapitolyo.Huwag kayong mag-aalala, sa kaban din ng bayan

kukunin ang pambayad sa kuryenteng nagamit doon.* * *

Maligayang Pasko sa ating lahat.Nawa ay pagpalain tayo ng Diyos na Maylikha.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Promdi mula sa pahina 2

BAYAN MUNA BAGO ANG SARILI!


RICO’S NEWSSTAND — Handang paglingkuran ni Manrico Ginete angkanyang mga suki. Ang Mabuhay (kaliwa, itaas na hanay) ay isa sa mgapahayagang mabibili sa kanyang newsstand sa Barangay Ginhawa,Lungsod ng Malolos, Bulacan. — Mga kuha ni Armand Arellano

THE LADY IN YELLOW — Tampok si Pangu-long Cory Aquino, “The Lady in Yellow”, sa siping Mabuhay na hawak ni Bong Sistona ng Ra-ven Newsstand, sa Crossing, Plaridel, Bulacan.

NGITI NG BUHAY — May kasamang ngiti angmabibiling sipi ng Mabuhay sa tindahan atnewsstand ni Eddie Catindig BarangayPoblacion, Guiguinto, Bulacan.

TINAPAY AT MABUHAY — Mayroong din kopya ng Mabuhay namabibili sa panaderya, ayon kay Teresita Boado ng BarasoainBakeshop and Catering Services, North Centrum Building,Barangay Sta. Cruz, Guiguinto, Bulacan.

KASAMA SA HANAPBUHAY — Ang Mabuhay ang binabasa ng mga tricycle driver at operator habangnaghihintay ng pasahero sa pila ng tricycle sa SM Baliwag Terminal, Baliwag, Bulacan.

TUBIG AY BUHAY — Kung ang tubig ay buhay, mayro-on Mabuhay sa Water Perfect Enterprises sa North Cen-trum Building Barangay Sta. Cruz, Guiguinto, Bulacan.

KWENTONG BARBERO — Mabibili rin ang Mabuhaysa Marvin Viray Barbershop and Newsstand saGinhawa St., Lungsod ng Malolos, Bulacan.

LEVEN ECHECHE NEWSSTAND — Mayroon dingmabibiling kopya ng Mabuhay sa Leven Echeche News-stand, Barangay Poblacion, Guiguinto, Bulacan.

Maligayang Pasko at maraming salamatMaligayang Pasko at maraming salamatMaligayang Pasko at maraming salamatMaligayang Pasko at maraming salamatMaligayang Pasko at maraming salamatsa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasasa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasasa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasasa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasasa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasa

ng pahayagang ng pahayagang ng pahayagang ng pahayagang ng pahayagang MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980

Maligayang Pasko at maraming salamatMaligayang Pasko at maraming salamatMaligayang Pasko at maraming salamatMaligayang Pasko at maraming salamatMaligayang Pasko at maraming salamatsa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasasa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasasa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasasa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasasa lahat ng naghahain at mambabasa

ng pahayagang ng pahayagang ng pahayagang ng pahayagang ng pahayagang MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980


○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Regarding Henry from page 3

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,and peace on earth to those withwhom He is pleased!’

St. Luke expressly mentioned thatthere were shepherds tending theirflocks in the fields on the night ofJesus’s birth. But in Palestine, shep-herds always drove their flocks fromthe fields and mountainsides and cor-ralled them not later than the middleof October to protect them from theoncoming cold and rainy season.

“It was an ancient custom amongJews of those days to send out theirsheep to the fields and deserts aboutthe Passover, and bring them homeat commencement of the first rain(the harbinger of the cold, rainy sea-son),” writes Adam Clarke in “Com-mentary.”

In the Holy Land, the first rainbegins sometime in October or No-vember. Thus, the authoritative bookof Clarke continues to say: “As theseshepherds had not yet brought hometheir flocks, it is a presumptive argu-ment that October had not yet com-menced, and that, consequently, ourLord was not born on the 25th of De-cember when no flocks were out inthe fields; nor could He have beenborn later than September, as theflocks were still in the fields bynight.”

There are questions about the ex-act year as well. It is common beliefthat Jesus was born in the year 1 A.D.According to the Gospel of Matthew(2:1), Jesus was born when Herodwas the king of Judea. The book ofLuke states: He was born whenCyrenius (in Roman history,Quirinius) was the governor of Syria(read Luke 2:2), but King Herod issaid to have died in 4 B.C. andCyrenius did not become governor ofSyria until ten years later. The ad-ministrations of Herod and Quiriniuswere separated by the whole reign ofArchelaus, the son of Herod. Appar-ently, from the statements of Mat-thew and Luke, a difference of tenyears in the time of the birth of JesusChrist can be noted.

It might come as a shock to manybelievers – as it did to me – that theThree Kings were not for real andthat they were not present at theNativity scene. St. Matthew, anotherauthority on Christ’s birth, relates:

“Jesus was born in the town ofBethlehem in Judea, during the timewhen Herod was king. Soon after-ward, wise men from the East cameto Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is thebaby born to be the king of the Jews?We saw His star when it came up inthe east, and we have come to wor-ship Him.’

“When King Herod heard aboutthis, he was very upset, and so waseveryone else in Jerusalem. He calledtogether all the chief priests and theteachers of the Law and asked them,‘Where will the Messiah be born?’ ‘In

the town of Bethlehem in Judea,’they answered. ‘For this is what theprophet wrote: ‘Bethlehem in theland of Judah, you are by no meansthe least of the leading cities ofJudah; for from you will come a leaderwho will guide my people Israel.’

“So Herod called the wise menfrom the East to a secret meeting andfound out from the exact time the starhad appeared. Then he sent them toBethlehem with these instructions:‘Go and make a careful search for thechild; and when you find him, let meknow, so that I too may go and wor-ship him.’

“And so they left, and on their waythey saw the same star they had seenin the East. When they saw it, howhappy they were, what joy was theirs!It went ahead of them until it stoppedover the place where the Child was.They went into the house, and whenthey saw the Child with his motherMary, they knelt down and wor-shipped Him. They brought out theirgifts of gold, frankincense, andmyrrh, and presented them to Him.Then they returned to their countryby another road, since God hadwarned them in a dream not to goback to Herod.”

Notice that St. Matthew wrote“wise men” and not “kings” andwithout specifying the number of thevisitors. If these men were indeedkings as popularly believed, it wouldbe very unlikely for King Herod to re-ceive them civilly, for was Herod notbothered when told that the King ofthe Jews had been born? At thattime, Rome was expanding its politi-cal dominion throughout the worldand King Herod, who ruled only asmall part of the Roman Empire,would not tolerate any challenge tohis throne.

The wise men, as St. Matthewcalled them, would aptly apply to menof high learning such as those skilledin the medical arts and the law. Buta safer assumption, based on theirability to interpret the movement ofobjects in the firmament, is that theywere astrologers, which is how “TheLiving Bible” version described them.

The names Gaspar, Melchor, andBaltazar are not mentioned in theBible. If ancient writings had at-tempted to identify them with thenumber of gifts given to the HolyChild, these would still not substan-tiate the account of St. Matthew. Itmust be recalled that in those days,long and perilous journeys could notbe taken by only a few men, say, aboutthree. Caravans are formed to travelthe rough routes, so that the travel-ers would be protected from banditsand wild animals. St. Matthew, byusing wise men, suggested a muchbigger number than three.

As to their exact arrival inBethlehem, the point of time is againdefined by St. Matthew: “When

Herod realized that the wise menfrom the East had tricked him, he wasfurious. He gave orders to kill all theboys in Bethlehem and its neighbor-hood who were two years andyounger – this was done in accor-dance with what he had learned fromthe wise men about the time whenthe star had appeared.”

The journey, which started as soonas the wise men saw the star, and as-suming that the star appeared in theeast on the day Jesus was born, tooka long route. From the east, the dis-tance to be covered would have takenmonths or years, and Herod com-puted the time of travel and thus as-certained Jesus’s age at the time ofthe wise men’s arrival.

Taking two years or slightlyshorter to reach Bethlehem, the wisemen would naturally find Jesus in ahouse (Matthew 2:11) and not in amanger. Yes, only the shepherds werearound when Jesus was born in themanger.

Wise men started the tradition ofgift giving during Christmas. What’sthe story behind? Clarke’s “Commen-tary” has this explanation: “Peopleof the east never approach the pres-ence of kings and great personageswithout a present (meaning gift) intheir hands.” It must be recalled thatQueen Sheba brought gifts to KingSolomon when she visited him. Assuch, wise men gave gifts to JesusChrist because they knew He wasborn King of the Jews.

Take note, too, that the wise mendid not merrily exchange gifts amongthemselves but gave them to Jesus.Now, since we claim the example ofthe wise men to be the basis of givinggifts during Christmas, do we reallyfollow their example? No, we don’tgive gifts to the Lord during Christ-mas! We exchange gifts among our-selves instead!

Here’s another shocking revela-tion: Jesus Christ does NOT wantus to celebrate His birthday – other-wise the Bible wouldn’t have left usguessing on the exact date. Even theearly Catholic priest Origen said: “…in the Scriptures, no one is recordedto have kept a feast or held a greatbanquet on His birthday. It is onlysinners who make great rejoicings onthe day in which they were born intothis world.”

One of the great sinners in theBible who celebrated his date of birthwith “extreme rejoicing” was KingHerod. Check out Matthew 14:6-10for that.

Also, the 1944 edition of the En-cyclopedia Americana has this note:“Christmas was, according to manyauthorities, not celebrated in the firstcenturies of the Christian church, asthe Christian usage in general was tocelebrate the death of a remarkableperson rather than his birth…”

Merry Christmas!

amount of experience in detecting thetricks of these isms and in dealingwith them accordingly. We have tohelp one another in safely navigatingthe now treacherous waters of ourChristmas celebrations.

We need to continually rectify ourintentions, and to keep a good holdof our instincts and impulses, ouremotions and passions. These tend togo wild, daring to go on their ownoutside the orbit of reason, let alonefaith and charity. We need to learnhow to be reflective and contempla-tive even in the middle of parties andmerry-making, because that is howwe ought to behave. That conduct dis-tinguishes us from the animals. We

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Cebu Calling from page 3

should resist the strong and constanttemptation to act merely as consum-ers or entertainers, etc.

In short, we need to live temper-ance even as we also try to practicegenerosity and magnificence in ourcelebration. This blend will take placemore in the heart than in the exter-nals. It happens when the heart istruly in vital contact with God.

This temperance can only be livedwell if paired with the virtues of jus-tice and solidarity. Justice enables usto think always of others, of what weowe to them. There’s always some-thing that we owe to them, since weall form one communion.

Solidarity complements justice in○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Depthnews from page 3

ger.”Insult threatened to pile on injury.

A Philippine Star column notedthat Josefino Cenizal was being con-sidered for a “National Artist” award.It adds: He composed the country’smost loved carol: Ang Pasko AySumapit.”It was Levi Celerio whosupplied the lyrics. Did they?

Protests erupted. Cebu NormalUniversity museum curator RomolaO. Savellon, for example, asked: “Arewe going to take this sitting down?”Columnist Jullie Yap Daza weighed.

“(Doesn’t that) make a mockeryof the festival that this carol sings of?Bagong tuig, bagong kinabuhi, theCebuano original and it’s Tagalog

adaptation proclaim. It echoes theAdvent cry of Isaiah: ‘Break the fet-ters of injustice…and break everyyoke. Then, will your light breakforth as the morning.’

In the Charles Dickens 1843 clas-sic, “A Christmas Carol,” the miserEbneezer Scrooge dismissed whatVestil and Rubi celebrated as “hum-bug.”

But“the Bethlehem story gives usan ‘array of luminous images’,” theo-logian Catalino Arevalo, S.J. writes(We see) “the night sky alight withbright angels, simple shepherdsstartled from sleep, magi… It is ahappening, above all, for the deepestheart.

“Christmas is not, first of all, arevelation for the intelligence… It islooking at a Son who was born for us,who would die for us, because we mat-tered to him, because we are infinitelycherished, infinitely loved…

At the crib, the first task is to look.“The hopes and fears of all the yearsAre met in thee tonight,” the 1861carol says of the little town ofBethlehem.

It boggles the mind. But Christ-mas’ unique grace is that carol writerand carol thief, can say, together withthe kings and shepherds: “Let us goto Bethlehem and see what the Lordhas made known to us.”

— [email protected]

that it leads us to think always interms of the common good. It checkson our tendency to get stuck with self-interest and narrow-mindedness.

These three virtues—temperance,justice, solidarity—while governingour attitude toward material andearthly things, will eventually lead usto God precisely through the use ofthese earthly things. It should be thetemplate of our lifestyle.

Thus, our earthly and temporalaffairs are in theory no hindrance inour relation with God. Handled prop-erly, they can strengthen and enrichthe father-and-son relationship wehave with God and the brotherhoodamong ourselves.

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Forward to Basics from page 3

“it would greatly please me if you and your wife kept itfor your child.”

“I cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve donefor us,” Joseph said as he pocketed the comb.

“May the gods keep you safe in your journey, my faith-ful carpenter and do come home right away,” Anton gaveJoseph one more long embrace. The soldier felt it wasgoing to be the last time that they would see each other.

* * *Mary and Joseph sighed with relief as they saw the

small town of Bethlehem and it’s surrounding hills thatwere bathed with the warm and deep colors of the set-ting sun.

“I pray that we won’t stay there too long. It’s not thebest place for you to give birth. I have been told it’s nextto impossible to find space and not even in the inn.” Jo-seph said quite worried.

True enough, the city –small as it already was– wasoverflowing with people who came to register. Travelersclogged the streets with their tents and tables filled withall sorts of merchandise. The soldiers mounted on theirhorses filed along the alleyways maintaining orderamongst the newcomers. Thieves also took this occasionto steal without being seen in such crowded and confusedstreets.

As Mary and Joseph entered the city-gate the mass ofpeople simply engulfed them like a flowing river withoutany direction. Joseph struggled to keep their directiontowards the inn. They waded through a mass of men,stalls, animals and soldiers that pressed around Mary andtheir poor donkey.

Suddenly, Mary cried out, “Joseph, my bag!”“What happened?” Joseph was alarmed.“Someone has taken it,” Mary said.“Thieves!” Joseph said keeping a more vigilant watch

around them. “It’s alright Mary, besides the thief will bequite surprised to discover we don’t have anything valu-able with us.”

“I know,” Mary said regaining her composure, “but ifI do give birth to Jesus here, I won’t even have anythingto warm Him with. I already gave the mantle to the girlin the village where we stopped. There were a few strandsof cloth there, and Anton’s gift, the alabaster comb. I hopethey could be of use to the one who stole it.”

* * *“Are these worth the effort? Strips of cloth, needles

and woolen thread, and an alabaster comb?” Aramin, thethief, scratched his forehead in disgust. “I’m losing mytouch. I had better look for a better job to support myfamily. This won’t even buy anything to feed my poorfamily.”

He examined the comb closely. “Well, at least Anina,my only girl, may like this comb.” He headed back to thepoorer areas of Bethlehem where he lived.

“Father! Father!” a boy came running frantically tohim. Aramin was frightened as he read a dreadful tonein his eldest son’s voice. “What is it Johan?”

“Anina was trampled by a mule that suddenly wentwild in the field where she was gathering the fallenwheat!” Johan couldn’t keep himself from crying. “She’sdead!”

Aramin hastily ran back to his home and found hiswife and four other children weeping and huddled aroundthe fragile body of Anina.

His daughter’s pale, ashen face was bruised and dryblood stained her nostrils. Her beautiful chestnut hairwas untidily covering her cheeks. Her clothes were dirtyand torn, and her right hand was still clasping some wheatshe had gathered.

“Anina, why didn’t you stay at home?” her fathermoaned with grief. “I was only going to be out for a shortwhile, and promised to bring you home a gift.”

Aramin took out the alabaster comb and with it gen-tly combed his daughter’s tangled hair. “You would havelooked pretty with this,” he said sobbing as he continuedto fix his child’s hair. “I knew I should have stopped be-ing a thief as you pleaded me to do the other day.”

“Father,” Johan who was caressing his sister’s handsuddenly said, “I felt her hand move.”

“Hush! You’re imagining things, son,” their mothersaid.

“…and her hand is warm again,” continued Johan whodidn’t pay attention to what his mother said.

Aramin continued to comb his daughter’s hair andgazed at her face. He realized that her complexion hadindeed changed. And to everyone’s surprise Anina openedher eyes and asked, “Where am I?”

* * *“Joseph, look at that girl,” Mary pointed to a little

pretty girl near the Temple’s entrance. “She has a comblike the one we lost.”

They both approached Anina, and Joseph asked,“Little girl, where did you find that comb?”

“My father…,” she was about to explain when Araminappeared and knelt before Mary and Joseph.

“Forgive me for stealing your things.” He pleaded.“Today, I have sworn to God and my daughter that I willnever steal again. Here, take your belongings back.” Thenfilled with emotion he told Mary and Joseph how hisdaughter was miraculously brought back to life.

“Thank you kind man,” Mary replied, “but yourdaughter may keep the comb. I am sure God wantedthings to happen just as they did.”

Treated unfairlyby newspapers thatrefuse to publishyour response?

Write us.Philippine Press Councilc/o PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTERm. 312 B.F. Condominium Bldg.A. Soriano Ave., Intramuros, Manila


Big, warm hearts welcome tourists in tiny Singaporeing cash and checks,” said Red,who works for Apple computershere.

He said that there are at least200,000 Overseas Filipino Work-ers in the city-state whose seaport is regarded as one of thebusiest in the world.

Lawrence, a native of Dau,Mabalacat, Pampanga, said whathe liked most is that the govern-ment and private firms treat allraces and their workers equally.

“As long as you can do the joband you are qualified they willhire you here. But they preferthose with experience,” addedLawrence, who worked for Phil-ippine Long Distance Telephonecompany as a Revenue AssuranceEngineer for eight years beforesettling here in 2007. He and Jojoare now with MobileOne Ltd., awireless mobile service provider.

This reporter roamed Singa-pore alone for a few days andlearned how and why the tinynation developed into a majortrading port of the ‘spice route’of the British East India Com-pany. Sir Stamford Rafflesfounded Singapore in 1819.

As I roamed the island I hadto ask people several times fordirections and they readilyobliged. There were evenocassions when they walked withme even if they were supposed totravel in the opposite directionjust to make sure I take the cor-rect bus or train.

The MRT is the backbone ofthe public transportation system.The trains carry about one thirdof the nearly 5 million populationdaily. The MRT along with

equally reliable bus and taxi ser-vices makes travelling smoothand comfortable.

Discipline is implanted deepamong the citizens and residents.It is like a habit for them to fol-low rules even if no one seesthem. No wonder Singapore ispeaceful and progressive.

Credit, of course, goes to theLee’s, father-and-son. FormerPrime Minister Lee Kuan Yewand incumbent Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong.

The elder Lee ruled Singaporewith an iron fist which in somecountries is known as “toughlove”. In the Philippines, “toughlove” is central in values forma-tion, foremost of which is disci-pline, in rehabilitation centers.

“How come you are friendly tostrangers?” I asked Aizsa Wong,a 17-year-old female Singaporeantaking up a tourism course.

“It’s my personality. My par-ents teach me to be courteous.Besides, I have yet to experienceany negative outcome of beingfriendly with and talking tostrangers,” Aizsa said. She evenhelped this reporter get access tothe city’s free wi-fi service.

Global economic crisisAccording to American Robert

Jackson, a Massachusetts Insti-tute of Technology (MIT) gradu-ate, Singapore came to mind firstwhen his pharmaceutics com-pany in the U.S.A. had to lay offworkers, including him, at theheight of the global economic cri-sis last year.

Jackson says that what heloves most about this place is thatit’s strategically located in Asia

at the southern tip of the MalayPeninsula.

He was on the November 29Cebu Pacific Airlines flight fromClark to Singapore when hespoke to this reporter. He said hecould not resist the amazing airfare promotions of Cebu Pacific.The MIT grad visits his girlfriendin the Philippines regularly.

“I could also tour other coun-tries such as Cambodia, Malay-sia and Thailand from Singapore,allowing me to save money fortransportation,” Jackson said.

At Woodlands where I stayedduring my Singapore sojourn isa few kilometers away from Ma-laysia. The shared border luresone to travel to Malacca, one ofMalaysia’s popular destinations.Malacca is also one of UNESCO’sHeritage Sites.

Travel time to Malacca isabout four hours one-way on abus.

From Singapore tourists couldalso visit the islands of Bintanand Batam in Indonesia. Theferry boat ride to the two resortsfrom Singapore’s HarbourFronttakes about 45 minutes.

What makes the Lion City atourist haven? Arrivals avarage8.2 million annually.

Among the many tourist at-tractions in Singapore are themust-see Sentosa Island whichhad 6.1 million visitors last year.

Next year, some 10 millionpeople are expected to have fun,play games and enjoy rides, andwatch the “Songs of the Sea”musical play at Sentosa when theisland’s second integrated resortopens in the first quarter of 2010.

The Universal Studios and atwin casino stretching from Ma-rina Bay to Sentosa will opennext year and attract more tour-ists to the island resort.

The other must-see destina-tions and activities for touristsare the Animal-viewing at theSingapore Zoo, Night Safari;night life at Clarke Quay; theshopping centers on Orchard.Visitors also must experienceSingapore’s “China town andLittle India”; and go to theRaffles Business Center and theMarina Bay where the Merlionstands.

The landmark is the statuehaving the body of a fish and headof a lion. The word Merlion isformed by combining mermaidand lion.

The original statue of theMerlion is located at the mouthof the Singapore River and thetaller version of the statue standson Sentosa Island

Hawkers food centers are allover the city, offering people“cheaper-priced” meals.

Yet, no place or nation, includ-ing Singapore, is perfect. All Iwant to stress is that for me it’sthe best place.

Ching Pangilinan, tourism of-ficer of the City of San Fernando,Pampanga toured Singapore withher mother recently.

When they got back, Chingreceived a text message askingher if it was really unfriendly tothe pocket to visit the city-statewith diverse cultures, traditionsand lifestyles.

Her quick reply: Yes, expen-sive!

In a report which appeared onthe December 3 issue of Singa-pore’s My Paper, the island na-tion was ranked the 9th most ex-pensive place to live in for expa-triates.

In website reports, Singaporewas ranked as the 10th most ex-pensive place to live in the world.Only Tokyo, Osaka and HongKong are more expensive in Asia.

A bottle of mineral watercosts about P40 in Singapore.One can buy the same product foronly P15 in the Philippines.

Still, I would urge you to visitSingapore – especially if you havea cool and kind Singapore-basedrelative as I do.

I did stay for eight days withmy cousin Lawrence “Wowie”Narciso. Before I flew back toClark, Wowie took me to Malacca.It was my special request beforewinging to Singapore. He said hewould—and he did take care ofeverything—Filipino-style (all forfree).

Indeed, what good luck tohave Wowie for a cousin. And,yes, thanks to Cebu Pacific for thewonderful and rewarding sojournin visitor-friendly Singapore.

Cebu Pacific flies four times aweek to the Lion City from theDiosdado Macapagal Interna-tional Airport at Clark in Ange-les City, Pampanga.

For a reporter invitations totravel come with the job.

Cebu Pacific’s promo for me-dia offers free ticket from Clarkto Singapore. But you are on yourown in the Lion City.

The good fortune of this re-porter includs cousin Wowie.

mula sa pahina 1pinaka mataas na bilang ng mgamamamahayag na pinaslang sabuong mundo sa mga nagdaangtaon. Mas mataas ito sa naita-lang 67 mamamahayag na pinas-lang sa buong mundo noong2007, ang dating pinakamataasna bilang na naitala.

“This has been a year of un-precedented devastation for theworld’s media, but the violencealso confirms long-term trends,”ani Joel Simon, ang executive di-rector ng CPJ.

Dagdag pa ni Simon, “Mostof the victims were local report-ers covering news in their owncommunities. The perpetratorsassumed, based on precedent, thatthey would never be punished.”

Ayon pa sa CPJ, ang pama-maslang sa 30 mamamahayag naPilipino sa Maguindanao aywalang kapantay. Ito ay higit namarahas kumpara sa naitalanginsidente ng pamamaslang sa 11mamamahayag sa Iraq noongOktubre 2006, kung kailan ay 11

kawani ng Al-Shaabiya televisionay napatay sa isang pag-atake sastudio nito sa Baghdad.

Binigyang diin pa ng CPJ naang pamamaslang sa mga mama-mahayag sa Maguindanao ay “ex-treme”, at nagpapakita lamangng malalim na ugat ng “cultureof impunity” o walang napa-parusahan sa pamamaslang samga mamamahayag sa bansa.

Sinabi ng CPJ na dahil sa mgapagkukulang at pagkakamali nggobyerno, patuloy ang “climate ofimpunity” at pamamaslang samga mamamahayag.

“The killings in the Philip-pines are a shocking but not en-tirely surprising product of along-term reality: The govern-ment has allowed unpunishedviolence against journalists, mostof it politically motivated, to be-come part of the culture,” ani BobDietz, ang Asia program coordi-nator ng CPJ.

Dagdag pa ni Dietz, “TheMaguindanao massacre couldserve as a turning point for the

Philippines if its leaders cangather the political will to see thatthe perpetrators are brought tojustice. If it is business as usual,we will continue to see journal-ists killed in the years to come.”

Batay sa tala ng CPJ, angPilipinas ang pinakadelikadongbansa sa mundo dahil sa 32mamamahayag ang pinaslang sataong ito habang tinutupad angkanilang tungkulin.

Kasunod ng Pilipinas ang So-malia na may naitalang siyam namamamahayag na pinaslang atikatlo ang Iraq.

Ika-apat naman ang Pakistan(4), kasunod ng Rusya (3), SriLanka (2), Mexico (2), Venezu-ela (1), Nepal (1), Madagas-car(1), Nigeria (1), Azerbaijan(1), Indonesia (1),

El Salvador (1), Colombia (1),Israel and the Occupied Palestin-ian Territory (1), Iran (1), Af-ghanistan (1), at Kenya (1).

Kaugnay nito, sinabi ni ShawnCrispin, Senior Southeast AsiaRepresentative ng CPJ, ang

Maguindanao massacre: Pinakamarahas ang 2009 sa mamamahayagpangamba na hindi tuluyangmalitis ang mga akusado saMaguindanao massacre dahil narin sa rekord ng Pilipinas hinggilsa climate of impunity.

Ayon kay Crispin, “There islegitimate cause for concern thatthe case will never be fully pros-ecuted. CPJ ranks the Philippinesas the sixth worst country inwhich journalists’ killers arebrought to justice, according toour global Impunity Index. Thecountry now falls behind onlyIraq in the total number of jour-nalists killed since 1992, our re-search shows.”

Nanawagan ang PPI sa mgakasaping pahayagan sa bansa namagsindi ng kandila at maghan-dog ng panalangin sa Disyembre

23 bilang pag-alala sa 57 biktimang Maguindanao massacre.

Ang mga empleyado ng PPI aymagsisindi ng kandila at magda-dasal sa kanilang punong tang-gapan sa Intramuros, Manila.

“Let us all try to find time toremember the dead,” ani pa ngpanawagan ng PPI.

Maging ang National Union ofJournalists of the Philippines(NUJP) ay nagpalabas ng katuladna paalala sa bawat kasapi.

Ang PPI at NUJP ay kapwakasapi ng November 23 Move-ment, isang grupo ng mga mama-mahayag at pahayagan sa bansana binuo matapos ang brutal napamamaslang sa bayan ng Ampa-tuan, Maguindanao noong No-byembre 23.

NI DINO BALABO

MALOLOS — Nananatili pa rinsa kanyang puwesto si Gob.Joselito “Jon-jon” Mendoza ma-tapos ang unang dalawang linggong buwan ng Disyembre maka-raang ideklara noong Disyembre1 ng Commission on Elections(Comelec) na nanalo sa electionprotest si dating Gob. Roberto“Obet” Pagdanganan. Batay sadesisyon sinabi ni Pagdangananna mauupo siyang muli bilanggobernador sa kalagitaan ngkasalukuyang buwan.

Nananatili nakakandado anganim sa pitong pinto ng kapitolyoat patuloy din ang mga taga-suporta ni Mendoza sa pagba-bantay sa harap ng kapitolyongunit hindi rin naman silanadadagdagan.

Kaugnay nito, hinamon niPagdanganan si Mendoza na iga-lang ang batas, partikular na angdesisyon ng Comelec, at muli ni-yang ipinahayag ang pag-aasangmaupo na siya bilang gobernadorbago matapos ang 2009.

Ang pananatili ni Mendoza sa

puwesto bilang punong lalawiganay dahil na rin sa hindi pa naka-paglabas ng desisyon ang Co-melec en banc hinggil sa mosyonni Pagdanganan para sa “writ ofexecution pending appeal.”

Ang writ of execution ay isangdesisyon na maaring ilabas ngComelec en banc matapos ilabasnoong Disyembre 1 ng IkalawangDibisyon nito ang isang desisyonna nagpawalang bisa sa prokla-masyon kay Mendoza noong2007, at nag-atas sa kanya nabakantehin ang puwesto bilangpunong lalawigan at magbigaydaan kay Pagdanganan.

Ayon kay Pagdanganan, mayposibilidad na bago matapos angtaon ay madesisyunan na ngComelec ang kaniyang mosyon.

“I hope it will be over beforethe end of the year,” ani ng dat-ing gobernador ng makapanayamng Mabuhay sa telepono noongDisyembre 18.

Ngunit ilang source naman ngMabuhay ang nagsabing, bakasa Enero na ituloy ng Comelecang desisyon nito sa protesta niPagdanganann laban kay Mendo-

za dahil magbabakasyon na angmga komisyuner at empleyadonito para sa nalalapit na Pasko.

Sa isang pahayag, ipinaliwa-nag ni Gob. Mendoza na ang pag-kandado sa dalawang pinto ng ka-pitolyo sa harap at dalawa sa tagi-liran ay isang hakbang upang ma-tiyak ang seguridad ng kapitolyo.

Ayon kay Mendoza, na naka-tanggap siya ng mga banta sabuhay niya, bukod pa sa banta nalulusubin ang kapitolyo.

Ang mga pinto ng kapitolyo aysinimulang ikandado noong Dis-yembre 1. Patuloy rin ang pagba-bantay araw at gabi ng ilangtagasuporta ni Mendoza sa harapng gusali. Sila ay karaniwangnasa ilalim ng isang tent.

Hinamon ni Pagdanganan siMendoza na igalang ang batas,partikular na ang desisyon ngComelec hinggil sa kanyangprotesta laban kay Mendoza.

“No one is above the law andhe should respect the decision ofthe Comelec,” ani Pagdanganan.

Tinangka naman ng Mabu-hay na kunin ang panig ni Men-doza ngunit hindi niya sinagot

ang mga katanungang ipinadalasa kanyang cellular phone sapamamagitan ng text message.

Matatandaan na sina Pagda-nganan at Mendoza ay nagtung-gali bilang gobernador sa halalannoong 2007, kung saan ay luma-mang ang huli ng mahigit sa15,000 boto.

Ngunit, matapos ang prokla-masyon kay Mendoza, nagsampasi Pagdanganan ng protesta sapunong tanggapan ng Comelec.

Noong nakaraang taon, kuma-lat ang mga text message nananalo si Pagdanganan sa protes-ta at muli na siyang mauupobilang gobernador.

Ngunit hindi nangyari itodahil sa sunod-sunod na mosyonna isinampa ng kampo ni Men-doza na umabot pa sa KorteSuprema noong Hulyo.

Dahil sa mga mosyon, naan-tala ang desisyon ng Comelec sanasabing protesta hanggang saatasan ng Korte Suprema angComelec na ituloy na ang prosesomatapos ibasura ang hulingmosyon ni Mendoza nitong Nob-yembre.

Si Pagdanganan ay datingopisyal ng Unilever, isang multi-national company nang siya ayitalaga bilang gobernador ngBulacan matapos ang 1986People Power Revolution.

Siya ang kauna-unahang go-bernador ng lalawigan na ku-mandidato ng walang kalabannoong 1988, at muling nahalal nagobernador noong 1992 at 1995.

Noong 1998 at 2001, kuman-didato para sa Senado si Pagda-nganan ngunit natalo.

Si Mendoza naman ay angnakababatang kapatid ni datingGob. Josie M. Dela Cruz, angsumunod na punong lalawigankay Pagdanganan noong 1998.

Si Mendoza ay nahalal nakapitan ng Barangay Duhat,Bocaue noong 2002, at ilanglinggo lamang ay nahalal nabokal kung saan ay kinatawanniya ang liga ng mga kapitan ngbarangay sa Sangguniang Pang-lalawigan.

Noong 2007, nagtunggali silani Pagdanganan bilang gober-nador kung saan ay nagwagi siMendoza.

Si Jon-jon pa rin: Obet umaasang mauupo bago matapos ang 2009

Hindi na kailangang isipin pa! Iboto saHalalang 2010 ang mga kandidatongmaglilingkod sa bayan at hindi iyongmagnenegosyo.

10 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 DISYEMBRE 18 - 24, 2009

CAPTIVATING — Raffles, Singapore’s financial district and the Marina bay is a sight to behold — Photo courtesy of Wowie Narciso

RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION — About1/3 of Singapore’s 4.9-M population usesdaily the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), the

center piece of the city state’s efficientpublic transportation system. — Photo byJoey Pavia

Big, warm hearts welcometourists in tiny Singapore

SINGAPORE, EXPENSIVE? — Thinkagain. The hawkers food markets inSingapore such as this one in Jurong

East allow local folk and tourists to havea full meal for as low as P120. — Photoby Joey Pavia

SINGAPORE — Small but outstand-ing is this city-state. One of the 20 tiniestcountries in the world in terms of landarea, Singapore is slightly bigger than thewhole of Metro Manila.

Composed of one main island and 63islets, Singapore measures 710 square ki-lometers, while the size of Metro Manilais 638.55 square kilometers. Its biggestisland is about 617 square kilometerswhich, in turn, is smaller compared toMetro Manila.

Does size really matter? Not quite.The smallest nation in Southeast Asia

is the 6th wealthiest country in the worldin terms of gross domestic product whichis the value of all final goods and servicesproduced within a nation in a given year.As of January 2009, Singapore’s officialreserves stand at US$170.3 billion.

The low average of crime rate per yearcompared to all nations, including thePhilippines, suggests that residents in gen-eral are satisfied and happy. One consid-eration is that only a few individuals heredo not have jobs.

Over the past few years, the unemploy-ment average rate in Singapore was about3 percent. In the Philippines, the unem-ployment rate in January 2008 was 7.4percent.

In Canada, the average unemploymentrate is about six percent over the past fewyears.

The population of Singapore is 4.99million as of the latest data gathered thisyear. Of which, 3.2 million are native citi-zens and 533,000 are permanent residents.

Along with Monaco and Hong Kong, it’sone of the densely populated places in theworld.

Lion CityOne of the three surviving sovereign

city-states, Singapore is also called LionCity from the English “Singapore” mean-ing “lion-city” which was derived from theMalay Singapura. The other two sover-eign city-states are The Vatican andMonacco.

Although there is no record that the“king of the jungle” ever roamed the is-land at the tip of the Malay peninsula.

Nevertheless, Singapore’s nickname

suits it best – lions are indeed kings.Compared to other nations in Asia I

have been to and read about, the city state,home to various Chinese linguistic groups(74 percent of the total population), is byfar the best.

Well-travelled, well-read fellow journal-ist Ashley Manabat of Pampanga may dis-pute me on my “best rating” for Singapore.He has travelled not only in Asia but alsoin Europe.

Singapore is the best for me and manyothers who have experienced it because it’sone of the safest, cleanest and friendliestcountries on the planet.

What’s the use and significance of allthe popular destinations and sites in theworld if the host people are not as courte-ous, honest and kind as the Singaporeans?

Pinoys love itCarol Condat gave up her job as casino

floor manager to find her future inSingapore which achieved independencefrom the British on August 9, 1965.

“I chose to work in Singapore becauseyou can jog around at any time of the dayand no one will harm you,” said Carol, whoteaches elementary students at Hougang.

She lives with five other Filipinos –Lawrence Narciso, Red Esparagoza, JojoNatividad, Arianne Sunega and RissaMartinez – in a government-owned Hous-ing Development Board (HDB) condo-minium in Woodlands.

Red, a computer engineering graduateat the Adamson University in Manila,agreed with the comments of Carol abouttheir second home. But his experiences arequite different from hers when it comesto peace and order which makes one feelgreat to stay in the country whose form ofgovernment is parliamentary republic.

Red disclosed that he could not counthow many times he had lost his walletwhile commuting in the MRT, only to bepleasantly surprised and thankful to localfolk who would return it to him.

“There was even a time as I was rush-ing out of the MRT station when someoneyelled at me to get my attention. TheSingaporean returned my wallet contain-

+ continued on page 9+ continued from page 10

By Joey N. Pavia (Special to the Mabuhay)

mabuhay issue no. 950

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